


My Stolen Heart

by loving_desperation



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Hakyeon is Persephone, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Nightmares, Slow Burn, Smut, Threesome - M/M/M, based off the Fantasy music video, everyone has a tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-04-14 06:16:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 55,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14129871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loving_desperation/pseuds/loving_desperation
Summary: Hakyeon has to spend three months in hell - literally. After eating some pomegranate seeds from the Underworld's garden, he is The Lord of Death's prisoner - excuse me, "guest" - for three whole months. He thinks it's going to be miserable and lonely and well...hell. But the arrival of four spirits to the Underworld's palace changes everything, and Hakyeon just might find himself learning to like hell.Based off the Fantasy Music Video





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this piece has been in the works for like...a year and a half now? I don't know I lost track of time around page 32...anyway just fair warning, there is some pretty messed up violence described in some of the later chapters and I will put warnings on those chapters, but just proceed with caution if that's triggering. That being said, updates will be every Wednesday (hopefully) for the duration of this story.
> 
> Enjoy!

Hakyeon walked slowly through the vacant, dim halls, his footsteps echoing loudly around him. Each step he took, Hakyeon purposefully tried to scuff his heel against the flawless marble, hoping it would leave a mark. The obsidian floor beneath his feet only amplified the clicking drag of his heel in the soaring archways of the corridor. Dimly, Hakyeon thought about how it would be near impossible to sneak up on someone here, as you would most likely hear them coming before you even caught a glimpse. To Hakyeon, it only further proved the paranoia that he knew clutched at his master’s mind.

In the two weeks since Hakyeon had moved into this palace, he had developed a sort of routine for the endless days. Almost every morning, Hakyeon would wander aimlessly through the maze of corridors and passages, trying to find new places that he could isolate himself. It wasn't too hard to avoid his new master, as the man was usually busy with whatever it was he did here. That, and Hakyeon had become very well versed in the layout of the palace through his wanderings, so he knew the places his master frequented and those he did not.

Pushing out a clipped sigh, Hakyeon shoved his hands into his pockets, tilting his head back in a very undignified posture to stare at the arched domes of the ceiling above. With a small smirk, Hakyeon thought briefly of the critique his mother would give him for such posture. He could practically hear her scolding voice in the silence around him. But thoughts of his mother, of the world above abundant with life, quickly dashed the smile away.

Lowering his gaze to the reflective marble, Hakyeon could just make out a silhouetted reflection of himself in the gloomy stone. Everything here was so dark and quiet, as compared to the world above. It was thoroughly depressing and for every agonizing, endless day that passed, Hakyeon missed the sun, the flowers, and his family and friends. There was only silence, darkness, and the occasional whisper of a stale breeze. There was not an ounce of joy to be found in the desolate underground prison of the afterlife.

His silent brooding was suddenly pierced by the distant sound of agonized screaming. Wincing sharply, Hakyeon's hands flew to cover his ears, fumbling slightly on their way out of his pockets. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to bar out the tortured noises. Looking around, Hakyeon spotted a door that had been set slightly ajar near the end of the hall. Hurrying his pace through the corridor, Hakyeon made his way towards it. Normally he liked walking through the passages near the rear garden, specifically because his master’s undead servants hardly ever found their way back here. The unfortunate part however, was that he could often hear those suffering in the Fields of Punishment.

Ducking quickly into the doorway, Hakyeon shut the simple door behind him, pushing it firmly shut with both hands. He startled slightly after a moment, realizing that the door was not made of cool marble but instead was made of wood. But even it was darkly colored in this awful hell. Resting his forehead against the door, Hakyeon allowed himself a moment to steady his racing heart and take in the feeling of something that he knew well from the surface world. But it could only comfort him for so long before the harsh reminder of his very presence here came crashing down. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Hakyeon pushed off the door and reached up to rub at his eyes.

“Two and a half more months,” Hakyeon murmured, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Colors and spots danced behind his closed eyelids from the pressure he put on them.

Two and a half months didn't seem like a large amount of time to an immortal, but the problem was that it was so hard to feel like days were passing down here. The sky didn’t exist, so nor did the sun or any kind of natural light. The spires of jewels and minerals that sprouted from the floors and gardens gave off a dim glow, allowing those who wandered the palace to see. But aside from those and the occasional torch, it was just gloomy. Not to mention lonely.

Hakyeon lowered his hands and opened his eyes, feeling his despondence increase with his miserable train of thought. He turned to peer around the room, trying to find something to distract himself. There were a variety of strange items stashed in an almost orderly way in the little room. Eventually, Hakyeon’s gaze fell on a tapestry draped over a wrought iron pole on the far wall. Squinting curiously, he started to wander over to get a better look. The first couple of steps put Hakyeon onto a grand rug that had been placed over the floor. It was a pleasant muffler of the harsh marble underfoot.

Finally standing in front of the intricate piece of cloth that hung above him, Hakyeon’s eyes slowly widened as he began to realize that it was telling the story of his tragedy.

It began with his abduction, which felt like it had happened years ago but was only a few weeks in reality. Next was his mother’s rage at finding her son missing and her subsequent depression that caused the miserable winter on the surface world. Below the depiction of her rage, the weaver had created the scene of Hakyeon’s failure. He had plucked a pomegranate from his master’s - at the time, his captor's - garden and eaten some of the seeds, forever binding himself to this hellish cavern of the Underworld.

But at the bottom of the tapestry, it showed the compromise between his mother and master.

“Three months,” Hakyeon whispered, remembering how at the time, those exact words had felt like a death sentence. Now they merely haunted him as a constant reminder of his weakness. Reaching up, Hakyeon moved to slowly drag his fingers over the woven image of his mother. Whoever had made this captured her likeness perfectly. It was almost like Hakyeon was watching this scene from that day all over again.

_“He ate the seeds from my garden, and therefore his soul is rightfully mine to possess. You can not defy the ancient laws!”_

_“Hakyeon is still my child, and I refuse to give him to_ you _of all people! You can not have my son.”_

_Hakyeon watched in despair as his mother argued with the Lord of the Dead. One of his mother’s handmaidens stood beside Hakyeon, her arms wrapped protectively around Hakyeon’s trembling form. She was all but holding Hakyeon upright at this point. His knees felt weak as they knocked together in fear. The very halls of Olympus felt darker with the Lord of the Dead’s presence. And his increasingly sour mood was not helping._

_“Enough,” Hakyeon’s uncle said firmly, finally descending from his throne where he had been watching in stoic silence for the past couple minutes as the argument unfolded. Unfortunately, his uncle's intervention did not make Hakyeon feel any more secure about the situation. He knew that there was probably little his uncle could do about the bindings of ancient laws._

_“Brother, I will not let him take my child," Hakyeon's mother insisted firmly. "Surely you can cast him off Olympus. He’s not supposed to be here anyway!”_

_“I said, enough.”_

_There was complete silence throughout the throne room. Hakyeon’s mother had leveled her brother with a cruel glare, as if daring him to defy her. She was not known or thought of among the most physically powerful gods, but Hakyeon knew that she possessed more ability than she let on. Especially when she was insistent about something._

_"You knew this was bound to happen," Hakyeon's captor spoke up. "It has happened this way for millennia since our first incarnations set the stories of the world in stone. This incarnation, it is your son's duty to join me in the Underworld. As I said, you cannot defy the ancient laws. It would be unwise, and are the consequences really worth it?"_

_“We will compromise,” Hakyeon’s uncle spoke, holding up a hand for silence. He seemed weary and ancient, like the reminder of all their past incarnations was a burden on his mind. “Hakyeon cannot escape the ancient laws, and he has eaten the food of the Underworld. For each seed that he has consumed, he must spend a month in the Underworld. The rest of the year, he will spend on Olympus, as it has been done before. Does this appease you?”_

_Hakyeon was shocked still and even his trembling had ceased. Distantly, he could hear his mother’s anguished protests as the Lord of the Dead accepted his uncle’s offer. He had had no say in his own fate. Everything had been decided for him. Hakyeon would have to go back to that hell, to that lifeless and dark place far beneath the world of the living. He would have to leave his mother behind, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that over and over again, year after year._

_This couldn’t be happening. His mother would never allow it. She had all but destroyed the surface world with her grief the first time he had been taken from her. Surely Hakyeon’s uncle was not serious._

_“Mother!” Hakyeon finally shouted, his voice faltering as he broke away from the handmaiden holding him. “Mother, please! Don’t let him take me back there! It’s horrible and dark and cold. I don’t want to go back there ever again!”_

_“Silence, child!” Hakyeon’s uncle boomed. “You are responsible for your mistake, and so you must bear the consequences. This is a blessing for you. If you were anyone but my sister’s child, I would not be able to save you at all from the Underworld.”_

_Hakyeon stared in disbelief at his uncle, clinging to his mother when she tackled him in her embrace. She cried against his shoulder as she wrapped him tightly in her arms. Hakyeon could just make out the words she whispered to him through her tears._

_“I’m so sorry, my child. I wish I could change this, but I cannot.”_

_“Mother,” Hakyeon choked out, his own tears spilling down his cheeks. His fingers curled into fists, clutching the fabric of his mother's tunic. “I’m sorry. I never meant to eat the fruit. I’m so sorry.”_

_Hakyeon looked up from his mother’s shoulder, his eyes finding the Lord of Death’s intense gaze through his tears. His powerful, dark eyes held Hakyeon in place, making him feel unable to break away. Expecting to find malicious victory there, Hakyeon was surprised to see something akin to sympathy instead. It rocked Hakyeon off balance, making him wonder why a man like this would feel anything but malcontent._

_The man’s gaze tore away from Hakyeon’s, freeing him from the spell._

Hakyeon pulled his hand back from the tapestry with a sharp gasp, stumbling backwards a couple of steps. He clutched his fingers to his chest, staring at the woven image of his mother and master with wide eyes. Remembering that day was a shock, as Hakyeon consistently tried to repress any memory relating to his punishment for being so careless.

“Arachne wove that, at my request," a soft voice spoke behind Hakyeon. Whirling around with another gasp of surprise, Hakyeon found none other than the Lord of the Dead himself leaning against the doorframe. His dark eyes were trained on Hakyeon's face, staring with an emotion that Hakyeon found unable to decipher. But his master's statement poked at something white-hot with rage inside Hakyeon's chest.

"Why?" he demanded furiously. "Why would you have a tapestry like this woven and hung as if on display? Why in the world would anyone want to see something like this on a tapestry?"

The Lord of the Dead leveled a terrifying glare with Hakyeon's rage filled eyes. The man seemed to expand with power, drawing up to tower above Hakyeon, even though the height advantage the God of Death had over Hakyeon was very small. Hakyeon's sudden realization of his powerlessness against this man dampened his rage. Taking a small step back in retreat, Hakyeon watched as a sort of realization dawned in his master's eyes. Pulling his anger back, the Lord of Death let out a clipped breath before looking to the side of the room to glare at something other than Hakyeon.

"This is my personal study, and the tapestry is not on display for anyone to easily see," Hakyeon's master stated blandly.

Looking around at the other items once again, Hakyeon could now see that this room was indeed set up like a study. He immediately felt embarrassed at challenging his master in his own private study. It seemed foolish and almost suicidal in hindsight.

“I-I did not mean to intrude, my Lord,” Hakyeon stammered out, giving a clumsy bow. As he straightened up, his master’s face twisted with something Hakyeon couldn’t identify. “I merely sought somewhere I could not hear the screaming…”

“I’ve told you before to call me Ravi,” Hakyeon’s master cut across the explanation. “You do not have to refer to me so formally. You are not my slave, you are my right hand.”

“Not by choice,” Hakyeon said in low voice, immediately regretting it after the words slipped out. His Lord’s expression twisted again, as if pained at the reminder that every moment Hakyeon spent here was in misery. He did not know why the Lord of Death cared so much about Hakyeon's well-being.

Hakyeon felt a stab of pity, surprising himself. Neither of them had been satisfied by the arrangement, even if it was for different reasons. And he knew that maybe if he tried to meet this man halfway, things wouldn’t be so miserable. But the first two weeks Hakyeon had spent in the Underworld had been filled with careful evasion of his master, awkward and tense silence during their infrequent meals together, and very little conversation. This moment in the study was perhaps the most they had said to each other at once over Hakyeon's stay so far. But the most surprising thing, now that Hakyeon thought about it, was that he had not forced Hakyeon to interact with him more. If anything, he had respected the distance that Hakyeon put between them, and only asked to be joined at dinner a handful of times. Perhaps Hakyeon could return the favor and give the Lord of the Dead a chance.

“I apologize,” Hakyeon said, bowing again, his actions timid. “I did not mean to upset you, Lord Ravi.”

Ravi’s expression soured a little at still being referred to so formally, but he seemed to resign the argument for a moment. It was a small step of progress to be addressed as 'Lord Ravi'. For the two weeks that Hakyeon had spent in the Underworld, he had refused to address Ravi as anything other than “my Lord”, “my King”, or “my master”. It felt wrong and too intimate to call the Lord of Death by anything else.

With a heavy sigh, Ravi rubbed at his face with a hand, glancing at the tapestry behind Hakyeon.

“Enough of this,” Ravi shook his head. “I came to get you because we are about to meet some new souls. They are receiving sentences in a few minutes and I would like you to be present.”

Hakyeon’s expression twisted unpleasantly. “You know how much distaste I hold for that sort of thing. I want no part of it.”

“This is different,” Ravi said in what he probably thought was a placating tone. But it came across as more bitter insistence. “Please join me in the throne room.”

Hakyeon stared at Ravi, trying to muster up the same terrifying glare that his mother seemed to wear naturally when she was trying to get her way. But Ravi simply stared coldly back at Hakyeon, unaffected and annoyed at his continuous defiance.

“Fine,” Hakyeon gave in, tearing his gaze away to stare at the floor. The rug he had walked over earlier suddenly captured all of Hakyeon's attention so he wouldn't have to give it to Ravi. The thing was worn and slightly tattered at the edges, but the oriental design and soft fabric still possessed a beauty to behold. Hakyeon wondered briefly where it had come from before his Lord's voice broke through the thought.

“Thank you,” Ravi bit out, turning and making his way out of the study. His footsteps echoed harshly on the marble as he retreated back to the throne room. Hakyeon waited until the echoes had faded before he slowly made his way across the room to the door.

Having no idea why Ravi was insisting that Hakyeon be present for this, when he had never done so before, gave Hakyeon a bad feeling. Despite the sour taste on his tongue and the weight settling in pit in his stomach, Hakyeon pulled the study door shut on his way out and made his way begrudgingly back toward the center of the palace.

* * *

The throne room was a long, grand hall with ceilings arching higher than anywhere else above the imposing seats that were perched on a slightly raised section of the floor at the back of the hall. That raised platform was the only thing made out of white marble instead of black. It cast a stark contrast and immediately drew one’s eye exactly where the King wanted: to himself.

The grand entrance to the hall sat directly opposite the thrones, and was constantly guarded from outside the majestic doors that often barred the rest of the Underworld from looking in. There were also two simple archways that led to the rest of the palace, one placed on either side of the hall, close to the thrones. There were sheer, white curtains draped across the entrances, a blatant difference against the dark walls. There was really no splendid architecture or décor on display that added to the majesty of the throne room.

There was no need.

When one walked into the hall, the obsidian stone that made up a vast majority of the palace seemed to radiate power and prestige here more so than anywhere else in the palace. And when the King was present, that feeling became so overwhelming that those who entered often cowered before a word was spoken.

As Hakyeon stepped through an archway that led to the throne room, lifting the sheer curtain draped across the entry with a hand as he did, he was surprised to find only Ravi. The Lord of Death was standing in front of his throne, back to the grand chair, staring across the empty room. Hakyeon had used the entry on the side of the room, slipping in outside of Ravi’s gaze. However, the click of his shoes against the marble did exactly as expected and announced his presence.

Ravi seemed to twitch slightly, showing that he was very much aware of Hakyeon’s presence, but did nothing else to further acknowledge his company. It gave Hakyeon a moment to study Ravi without the fear of being caught staring at his master. After avoiding him for so long, being caught staring would raise some awkward and embarrassing tensions between Hakyeon and Ravi.

The occasion of the upcoming souls probably held some sort of importance to Ravi, since Hakyeon could see that his outfit was somewhat formal. The dark, fitted slacks and crisp button up – of course also of a dark color – seemed casual, but were indeed something much more formal than Hakyeon had ever seen Ravi stalk around the palace in.

It took Hakyeon a moment to realize that he had actually been paying attention, and then wonder why he had bothered to pay attention to what Ravi wore on a day-to-day basis. He tried to tell himself that since everything Ravi wore was black, it must be his imagination. Surely it really didn't matter what Ravi wore, so long as his unpleasant demeanor was in place, no one would question the Lord of Death. Thinking that perhaps this thought was getting out of hand, Hakyeon shook his head slightly to clear the thought away. He walked briskly to stand at the much simpler throne Ravi had ordered be crafted for the new part-time Underworld prince.

Hakyeon found the throne rather distasteful, even if it was pretty to look at. The idea of having a permanent throne in a place he would only be staying in temporarily seemed like an insult. Despite his hatred of it, Hakyeon had to admit that it was still somewhat comfortable. He had only sat in the onyx throne a handful of times, but he never found himself in discomfort.

Approaching the platform, Hakyeon walked slowly up the couple of steps to the thrones, still avoiding eye contact with Ravi. He instead looked down at the shiny, black boots on his feet, admiring how they stood out against the white marble. The boots were something Hakyeon had grown to appreciate, even if they were such a dark color when he very much preferred a brighter palette. They fit and were well made, like all the clothes provided for him. Ravi and his servants of the undead seemed to be able to fulfill every wish that Hakyeon had.

The only things they seemed incapable of granting him were clothes that had a color other than white or black…and his freedom.

With a heavy sigh, Hakyeon sat himself down in his throne and crossed one leg over the other. Propping his chin up on one hand, Hakyeon's eyes wandered to the grand doors at the end of the long room, wondering what kind of souls would come through them. What in the world could they have possibly done to warrant sentencing personally from the King of Death himself? With a slight shudder running down his spine, Hakyeon decided that he really would rather be anywhere but here.

"They're here," Ravi's soft, cold voice broke the heavy silence of the throne room. Hakyeon's eyes darted to Ravi's broad back when he spoke, before being yanked back to the grand doors as they were heaved open. Next to Hakyeon, Ravi stepped back and sat down, a regal air about him, in his own throne. Ravi's throne was significantly taller than Hakyeon's and overly ornate in design. The matching throne for Hakyeon featured ornate designs as well, but was present in a considerably smaller amount. At the moment, he was taking a small measure of comfort in running his thumb back and forth over the bumps and grooves of the armrest.

A squad of eight guards marched four despondent, frightened souls into the throne room. Iron shackles were clasped around all of their wrists and ankles with chains binding the cuffs together. The metal rattled noisily against the stone floor on their long trek from the doors to stand before the thrones. Hakyeon flinched a little every time one of the guards decided to roughly prod the unfortunate souls back in line. By the time the souls had been lined up side by side in front of the throne platform, Hakyeon felt the beginnings of a headache from all the noise of the chains after so long in the silence of the palace. Irritation pricked at Hakyeon's chest as he again questioned his presence for this.

Ravi did not speak immediately, and instead took his time to stare menacingly down at each soul individually. Hakyeon took that space of silence to study each soul on his own. If he was here, he might as well try and figure out why these souls were being punished so particularly. But upon first look, none of them looked remotely like hardened criminals that deserved the Lord of Death's personal attention.

The one at the end of the line closest to Hakyeon looked like he was barely twenty years old, with his youthful features and slightly rounded cheeks. He was tall despite his young face, and didn't appear to be trembling in the presence of the Lord of Death, which Hakyeon admired. Briefly, the soul made eye contact with Hakyeon, and the immortal found he was jarred by the empty expression he found there. When the soul looked down at his feet, Hakyeon was left to wonder what exactly this boy's life had been like to leave him looking this hopeless.

Trembling next to the hopeless looking soul was one that looked almost as young as the first, yet just as tall. This boy's lips appeared to have a bit of a natural pout to them, making his already terrified expression that more pitiful. And as if to add to the terrified look, his dark, doe eyes shone with such petrified innocence that Hakyeon couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. As he wondered what such an innocent, pretty boy like this could have done, Hakyeon realized that it almost felt as if he were looking at himself back on Olympus. A fierce wave of protectiveness surged in Hakyeon's chest, only to subside when he remembered that he really could do nothing for this soul. He would be here for eternity while Hakyeon would only come for three-month periods every year. There was no point in helping him.

Shifting his gaze to the next soul, Hakyeon decided that this one looked like he might actually be a troublemaker. His brow was consistently furrowed as the soul brazenly stared back at Ravi while the King scrutinized the spirit. He was slightly shorter than the previous two souls, but looked like he could very much take care of himself. If Hakyeon was honest with himself, he didn't really know what to think of this particular soul. His face was a bit narrower than the other two, and he kept his hands clenched in fists as he stood before Hakyeon and Ravi.

Giving up on trying to figure out the previous soul, Hakyeon moved his gaze to the last one in the line up. This soul was closest to Ravi, so Hakyeon had to turn his head a bit to get a good look at him. He appeared to be the tallest out of the four, and his expression was devoid of emotion. However, unlike the soul standing closest to Hakyeon, this one looked more neutral than empty. His presence was one of stoic silence and almost...boredom? Hakyeon nearly found himself chuckling at the idea of a damned soul being bored as they stood before the Lord of the Dead. He had to admit though, that this soul's features were rather striking, and he found himself inspecting the quiet spirit. As he did, the soul seemed to realize that he was being watched. Hakyeon felt a jolt of electricity shoot through his chest when the soul's dark eyes suddenly locked onto Hakyeon's gaze. They held each other in place with their stares for a long, suspended moment filled with pleasant electricity pulsing in Hakyeon's chest. The soul did eventually tear his eyes away, leaving Hakyeon feeling warm and dazed as he continued studying this one's face until Ravi's voice sounded at Hakyeon's side.

"State your names, souls." Ravi sounded cold and calculating, as if he were accounting and analyzing every syllable that would slip past these soul's lips.

"Han Sanghyuk," the soul closest to Hakyeon stated softly when Ravi's intense gaze landed on him.

"L-Lee Hongbin," the second soul stammered out, gaze flitting between the floor and Ravi's piercing stare. Hakyeon felt that stab of pity again, but managed to ignore it as he looked down at his hand. He was still running his thumb over the intricate carvings of the armrest, trying to distract himself.

"Jabba the Hutt," the third soul said with a note of bitter sarcasm drenching his tone. Hakyeon's gaze lifted from his hand to stare at the soul with slightly astonished eyes. Sure, he had already been damned, but being an asshole to the Lord of the Dead was - regardless - an idiotic move. And as expected, Ravi found no amusement in _Jabba's_ little joke.

"Don't fool around, boy," Ravi said in a soft, threatening tone. Hakyeon glanced at the King, watching his dark gaze narrow as he addressed the defiant soul. "I have better things to do than listen to you're annoying drivel. I already know your entire history, but you are required to state your name before me. Now state your real name before I decide to bypass judgment and drag you to the Fields of Punishment myself."

A beat of tense silence passed. Then, "Lee Jaehwan."

"Thank you," Ravi said dryly. "And you?"

The last soul looked up from where his gaze had wandered to inspect the white marble of the throne platform. He did not meet Hakyeon's gaze a second time, and said his name in such a quiet voice that if they had been anywhere else but in the near silent palace, the words would have been lost.

"Jung Taekwoon."

With a short nod, Ravi gracefully pushed himself to his feet, towering over the four souls before him as he strode purposefully to the edge of the platform before the steps. Hakyeon, unsure of his place in this matter, remained seated and simply watched the events unfold. The soul called Taekwoon was still avoiding his eye, having returned to whatever fascinating thing he had discovered in the marble of the floor in front of him.

"You four souls who have found your way here after death, Sanghyuk, Hongbin, Jaehwan, and Taekwoon," Ravi took a long, meaningful step down from the platform and towards the shackled spirits as he spoke each name. He punctuated the movement by deliberately meeting each one's gaze as he approached and continued speaking. "You who have suffered and been wronged in life, may now find sanctuary here among the walls of this palace. But know this: if you step out of line and find yourself on the wrong side of my patience, I will personally escort your miserable ass to the Fields of Punishment. Are we clear?"

"Um, no?" Jaehwan took a clumsy half step forward, angrily jangling his chains as he did. Glaring down the line at Ravi, who was standing in front of Sanghyuk and Hongbin, Jaehwan huffed. "What the hell do you mean we can 'find sanctuary' here? What the hell are you playing at? I've been fucked with enough in my life so I don't need this shit from God...or Satan. Who the fuck are you?"

Ravi leveled a calm, cold stare with Jaehwan as he walked slowly back down the line to stand toe-to-toe with the irksome spirit. The two stared each other down for a long moment, and Hakyeon couldn't help but feel impressed with Jaehwan. Ravi definitely had a bit of a height advantage over him, but Jaehwan refused to give an inch. Without flinching back, Jaehwan repeated through clenched teeth, "What are we doing here, man? What are we _really_ doing here?"

Hakyeon only realized that he had a death grip on the armrests of his throne when he abruptly lost feeling in his fingers. Immediately loosening his hold, Hakyeon continued to pay attention to the tense exchange before him. He watched nervously as Ravi's eyes narrowed before speaking.

"Every now and then, there are souls that journey to my realm that I can see have been dealt a hand so unfair by the Fates, that I decide to try and give them a second chance. It is rare that I do this, so do not make me regret my choice, Lee Jaehwan. I control your fate after death, and I do not recommend trying my patience. You have been granted a chance at peace and security away from the world here in my palace. I suggest you decide if you wish to stay here, or take your chances with the Judges back at the River Styx. It's up to you, but those Judges never get a day off and tend to get cranky when they meet souls like you."

Hakyeon could see Jaehwan's fists trembling with rage even from where he sat. There was no way this was going to end well. Hakyeon was almost as confused as Jaehwan, though. He had come to this sentencing under the impression that Ravi was going to be dealing out punishments to hardened criminals - the worst of the worst. But instead, Ravi was offering them peace. Though the whole thing was suspicious, and Hakyeon wondered if it was some sort of trick or trap, an excuse to prolong the suffering of tortured souls. Frowning, Hakyeon tried to stop thinking about it. None of this concerned him, and none of it ever would.

There was no reason to care about the fate of these souls.

Glancing to the side in an attempt to pretend he was not caught up in this nonsense, Hakyeon's gaze landed again on Taekwoon, the striking soul that stood at the far end of the line from Hakyeon. Taekwoon's eyes had finally left the spot he had found so interesting on the floor, and were fixed intently on Hakyeon. Starting slightly, Hakyeon couldn't help but lock on to the intense stare. The pulsing electricity was back, pushing its way through Hakyeon's chest and curling around and through his ribs. There was a strange pull of gravity that Hakyeon felt towards this soul, and he had no idea why. Never before had Hakyeon felt this way - let alone towards a mortal. Hakyeon had no way to describe this feeling, and he wasn't sure there even was a way. How could anyone ever find the words to put together to allow another to comprehend the intensity that Hakyeon could feel between himself and Taekwoon?

There was a loud clap, accompanied by a cry and the harsh clatter of metal chains, jarring Hakyeon roughly from his staring contest with Taekwoon. Eyes snapping back to Ravi and Jaehwan, Hakyeon blinked in confusion for a moment before he was able to understand the scene in front of him. Jaehwan was crumpled on the floor, one hand awkwardly cupping his cheek, the shackles restricting his movements. He glared accusingly up at Ravi, who stood over Jaehwan with fury dancing in his eyes and one hand poised to follow through with a backhand if Jaehwan proved to be continuously annoying.

"So much for sanctuary," Jaehwan bit out accusingly, his eyes watering slightly from the force of Ravi's strike. Hakyeon knew before Ravi moved that Jaehwan was going to get hit again.

"Stop!" Hakyeon cried. It took him a full beat of silence before realizing that he had not only stood up, but had launched forward to the edge of the marble platform. All eyes were glued to Hakyeon, staring at him in varying measures of surprise and curiosity. Hakyeon himself was mentally kicking his own ass for getting involved after all that thought about not doing exactly what he had just done.

Well...he had jumped into this pool. Might as well keep swimming.

"Let me...let me try, my Lord," Hakyeon eventually found himself saying. Ravi appeared to be so stunned by Hakyeon's intervention that he didn't even seem upset by Hakyeon stubbornly using formalities against Ravi's wishes. The Lord of Death merely took a handful of steps away from the stunned Jaehwan, leaving room for Hakyeon to descend the couple of steps and stand over the spirit.

"Jaehwan," Hakyeon said, forcing himself to meet the tortured spirit's eyes. "I know...that you must feel confused. Trust me, I understand those feelings. Things here are so very different from the world you left behind. But you are being offered a chance at peace. I'm not like Lord Ravi, I am not able to look at you and immediately know everything you've been through, but it sounds like your life was not something that anyone would want to endure, am I wrong?"

Jaehwan's eyes were locked on to Hakyeon, shimmering slightly with the sheen of tears, though none fell. Hakyeon took a deep breath, hoping to reassure the spirit sprawled on the floor before him. Jaehwan's silence prompted Hakyeon to assume he was right, and so he continued to speak. "Give this place a chance, and you might just be okay. It's quiet here, so no one will disturb you."

Hakyeon bent to offer Jaehwan his hand to help him up. The tortured soul looked between Hakyeon's expression and open hand for a few moments before he awkwardly managed to reach up and grab onto Hakyeon. Hauling Jaehwan to his feet with some difficulty, Hakyeon made sure the spirit had his balance before releasing him and taking a couple of steps back. Jaehwan watched Hakyeon for a moment before stating simply, "I hate quiet."

Refraining from groaning out loud, Hakyeon felt a violent prick of irritation in his gut. This spirit really seemed to have no idea when to just stop, and it was going to cost him. Ravi's eyes were boring holes into Jaehwan as he opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to threaten the troublesome spirit for the third time since setting foot into the throne room.

"But I think I'm okay with giving this place a chance," Jaehwan finished, getting his piece out before Ravi could.

Ravi was quiet for another moment, studying the spirits lined up before him. Hakyeon took the chance to retreat back to his seat, still angry with himself for intervening in affairs that mattered little to him. Now more than ever, Hakyeon missed his mother and the warmth of Olympus. But when he looked over at Taekwoon again, he found the spirit watching him with a quiet curiosity. The expression stirred something in Hakyeon's chest and he shifted slightly under the intense gaze.

Looking back at Ravi, Hakyeon thought that the King looked like he was about to start speaking to the spirits again. But it was at that moment a guard entered quickly from one of the side archways, hurrying to Ravi's side. Giving a hasty bow, the guard leaned towards Ravi and muttered something so quiet that even Hakyeon couldn't hear it. But whatever it was, seemed to annoy the King, as he irritably waved the guard away with a nod and mumbled something back to them.

"I would normally escort you to your quarters at this point," Ravi said, giving a casual wave of his hand. As if the movement were a command, the shackles on the spirit's wrists and ankles unclasped and clattered noisily to the floor. "But it appears that a few of my hell hounds have gotten loose. And those mutts only respond to my command so now I have to go chase them down." There was a very brief pause in which Ravi's eyes swept back to where Hakyeon had taken up his position on his throne again.

"Hakyeon, I know you have become acquainted with the layout of the palace in your two weeks here. Please show them to their individual quarters for me." Before Hakyeon could protest that he really still wanted no part in any of this, Ravi was already addressing the new souls again. "I expect to see all of you tonight at dinner. Someone will collect you later, and until then, you have free reign of most of the palace. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Ravi had swept out of the room before Hakyeon could even contemplate calling after his master. He found the chore assigned to him distasteful and wondered why and how things had ended up this way. Turning his eyes back to the spirits, Hakyeon was startled to find them all looking expectantly at him. Contemplating telling them to just find a room that suited them and hunker down so he wouldn't have to do this, Hakyeon shifted under their stares.

But looking over their lost, dejected faces again, Hakyeon felt that unwelcome surge of protectiveness rush through him once more. He pushed out a thick sigh and shoved to his feet. Stalking down the white marble steps, Hakyeon looked at each one of them before nodding and starting for the opposite side entrance Ravi had exited through.

"Right then, follow me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: There are some mentions of violence and abuse in this chapter, as well as a very brief depiction of an anxiety attack, so please proceed with caution. Several backstories of characters are why the warning tag about violence is on this story. <3 Love you all!

“The sleeping quarters are this way," Hakyeon said over his shoulder, heading for the door. Brushing aside the pristine sheer curtain as he walked through the archway, Hakyeon did not even bother to check and see if the souls were following him. He could hear their footsteps echoing his own as they walked over the marble. It was a rare moment that Hakyeon appreciated the marble floors. They not only assured him that the spirits were following him, but it allowed him to not have to turn around so he could exude a false air of confidence in his actions. In truth, Hakyeon's heart was racing, pounding against his ribs with nervous energy. There was really no reason for him to feel nervous, though; so he wondered why he was feeling this way.

Leading the four souls down the dim, twisting corridors, Hakyeon was surprised and grateful that none of them stopped to ask questions. Those would undoubtedly come later on, but for now the silence between them was appreciated.

After a multitude of rights and lefts and long hallways, Hakyeon finally took one last left and swept his hand lazily out to display the newest long, dark hallway. "This is the sleeping quarter wing of the palace. The large double doors down at the end of the hall, there, mark the King's room, and you are under no pretense other than personal invitation to enter that room. Is that understood?"

"And what if we forget where we are and we wander in?" Jaehwan asked dryly. Hakyeon highly suspected that this troublesome boy would attempt to use that excuse while knowing perfectly well where he had walked into. Leveling not just Jaehwan, but all four of the spirits with a cold, unimpressed glare, Hakyeon tried to emphasize the point of his comment.

"I imagine Lord Ravi will carry through his threat and drag you to the deepest circle of the Fields of Punishment. So if I were you, I would mind my own business and stay out of the King's way."

"But what if-"

"His name is on the fucking door, Jaehwan," Hakyeon abruptly spoke over the spirit. "Any excuse about not knowing where you are will not work."

That thankfully shut Jaehwan up. For the moment, anyway.

"Similarly," Hakyeon continued, trying to keep his annoyance to a minimum. "The doors in this hallway have your names on them, too, it appears. Each room will be the same upon your entrance, but you are free to ask for whatever you desire to make it feel more like your own. Fair warning, though, everything you ask for comes in black or white. So don't bother asking for anything in color. Trust me, I've tried.

"Dinner will be served in about two hours. As the King said, someone will come to collect you for the meal. Don't try hiding or barricading yourself in because the servants can and will find you. Again, trust me, I've tried. There should be about three sets of simple, basic clothes in your wardrobes for you to change into. Throughout your stay, you are free to ask for more and for certain articles of clothing. Same rules apply regarding color. Are there any questions? No? Fantastic. If you'll excuse me."

Hakyeon made to leave the spirits standing in the hall and go to his room, which was - conveniently - located right next to Lord Ravi's bedroom. Jaehwan however, caught Hakyeon's elbow and tugged him towards the door that had _Lee Jaehwan_ printed in a fancy script across the placard there.

"What are you doing?" Hakyeon hissed with annoyance. He pulled against Jaehwan's grip and almost growled when he did manage to yank his arm away after a moment of struggling. "What the hell do you want?"

"I need answers, and you're going to give them to me. Get in here," Jaehwan shoved open the door to his room and stood aside, holding the door open for Hakyeon to follow him in. Hesitating, Hakyeon highly considered telling this irksome boy to fuck off and then continue on his way to his own room. But looking back at Jaehwan, Hakyeon couldn't help but understand the angry confusion consuming the spirit's features. With an exasperated huff, Hakyeon glanced back at the other spirits, finding that Sanghyuk and Hongbin had vanished almost immediately into their respective rooms. Taekwoon was just now slipping into his own room, glancing once over his shoulder at Hakyeon standing in Jaehwan's doorway.

"Fine," Hakyeon conceded, stepping into the room and letting Jaehwan close the door behind him. As he turned to face Jaehwan, Hakyeon took another step back when Jaehwan started furiously pacing back and forth. The young spirit rubbed his hands over his face roughly, as if he were trying to wake himself up from some sort of dream.

"Let's start with the obvious," Jaehwan eventually settled down enough to stand facing Hakyeon. "Where the hell are we? Those other three and I, are we really dead?"

"Yes, and this is the Underworld. Next question?"

"So we can't go back? Ever?"

"No," Hakyeon said, irritated that that was even a question. What did this kid think being dead meant?

"Okay," Jaehwan said, wringing his hands together nervously, gaze flitting around the room. "Who was that guy you were sitting next to in the throne room? Is he really the King?"

"His name is Lord Ravi, King of Death, Lord of the Dead, Ruler of the Underworld, all that good stuff. Take your pick." Hakyeon answered all of Jaehwan's questions with a dry, uninterested stare. He hoped that there really wouldn't be that many questions.

"Is this some sort of test? Or a joke?"

"I couldn't tell you even if I knew."

"Why us, then?" Jaehwan asked quietly.

This gave Hakyeon pause. There was no simple, dry answer for this, because he himself didn't even know. But Hakyeon had often wondered that about his own imprisonment here. The first week he had been here, the only thing that seemed to run through Hakyeon's mind and haunt his dreams, was the question _why me?_

"Honestly? That's something only you and Lord Ravi know. I am unable to see your past, so I don't know what kind of life the Fates wove for you that moved Lord Ravi to do this. But since you were the one who lived your life, I expect that you can figure it out if you really think about it."

Hakyeon watched as Jaehwan's expression darkened significantly, his gaze dropping to the floor, as he seemed to glare at something with more hatred than Hakyeon had ever seen any one person possess. Wanting very badly to ask about Jaehwan's experiences, Hakyeon decided that now as probably not the best of times to do so. Turning back to the door, Hakyeon walked over to it, pausing suddenly with his fingers hovering over the door handle.

"I do have a question for you, Jaehwan," Hakyeon said, turning his head to peer at the spirit over his shoulder. He waited until the younger man looked up at Hakyeon before continuing. "What did you say to Lord Ravi that prompted him to strike you?"

Jaehwan's eyes seemed to widen with something that looked like...was that guilt? Curious, Hakyeon tilted his head to the side a little and faced Jaehwan fully again, waiting for an answer.

"I-I didn't really mean to say it, but the guy was just so irritating in the moment and it just sort of slipped out," Jaehwan rushed to explain, stammering a little as he did. "But I...well I basically accused him of forcing us to stay with him, and then said that he had probably done the same thing with you. And I may or may not have referred to you as his bitch."

Hakyeon stared at Jaehwan with wide, disbelieving eyes for a long moment, his lips parted in shock. He watched as Jaehwan's gaze lowered in embarrassment, his cheeks coloring as well. Hakyeon knew that he needed to say something in response, but he just...had no idea what to say to that. There was some truth to the accusations, but not to all of it. How in the world was Hakyeon supposed to convey that to this spirit that he had just met?

Finally, Hakyeon chuckled softly and shook his head. Jaehwan looked up quickly, surprised to hear Hakyeon laugh when he had clearly been expecting to be reprimanded or even hit once again. The look in the spirit's eyes was beyond confusion and it only made Hakyeon smile more. It felt good to smile again. As he thought about how to answer Jaehwan's accusations, Hakyeon's eyes traveled down to stare distantly at the marble floor of the bedroom. There was really no easy way to answer this.

"You're not entirely wrong," Hakyeon admitted with a sigh. "I was forced to come here, and I do not enjoy it here. I am not Lord Ravi's bitch, as you say, in fact I've been avoiding him for the most part ever since I got here. In a way...you four are more free here than I will ever be."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hakyeon raised his eyes to meet Jaehwan's, giving the boy a humorless smirk. "It's a long story, one that I may share with you another time. As for now, settle in and rest before dinner. If there's one good thing about being down in this hell, it's the food."

* * *

The dining room was one of the most well lit rooms in the entire palace. Hakyeon liked to wander through it at random points in the day, if only to be in a room with light. But when it came time for meals, Hakyeon would rather be anywhere else but in the dining room. Ravi attended every meal served in the dining room, which meant that if Hakyeon were to wander in while Ravi was in there, he would be expected to join the King until the meal was finished. And while Ravi had never forced Hakyeon to join him for every meal, Hakyeon knew that there was some sort of unspoken expectation that Hakyeon would attend.

Tonight was one of those rare nights that Hakyeon decided to go. But only because Ravi had addressed all of them earlier in the throne room, not just the new souls.

Wandering in, Hakyeon knew that he was early. The undead servants had yet to even set the table for the upcoming meal. And yet, Ravi was already present. His silhouette was outlined against the flickering fire that currently popped and crackled in the fireplace. The King stood facing the flames, staring down at them with an expression that Hakyeon couldn't quite make out as he cautiously walked closer to him. Normally, Hakyeon would attempt to slip back out to avoid his master, but he had been clumsy and announced his presence by bumping into a chair; so there was no turning back.

"I see you've decided to join us this evening," Ravi said quietly, not moving his gaze from the fire. Hakyeon stood uncomfortably just behind Ravi, his hand running back and forth over the top of one of the dining chairs. The table was a long, simple thing made of an ebony wood, the dining chairs made of the same wood and just as simple. The only chair that stood out with ornate designs and height was situated at one end: Ravi's seat.

"I assumed your command regarding presence at dinner included me as well, my King."

Hakyeon glanced over at Ravi as he spoke, noticing that his King's hands, which were clasped behind his back, clenched at the use of formalities. However, he said nothing and simply let out a tense sigh. Hakyeon looked away, settling on watching his hand continue to brush over the back of the chair. The wood was smooth and polished beneath his fingers.

"Why did you bring those souls here?" Hakyeon asked abruptly, surprising himself. For someone who insisted that he didn't care about anything that happened here, he certainly seemed to care a lot. But the question was out in the open and could not be taken back, so he continued, elaborating. "I mean, you look at them and know their entire life story, you know what they've been through and how they act. So why would you bring them here, promise them sanctuary, if only to stand toe-to-toe with one of them and then strike him down? It seems...cruel."

"You have never shown much interest in the affairs of the Underworld before," Ravi stated simply, not moving from where he continued to face the fireplace. Hakyeon felt his cheeks flush at being called out on his sudden curiosity. But Ravi continued before Hakyeon could defend himself.

"They were wronged. It's as simple as that. Like you and I, they are overly burdened spirits who drew unfair lots in life. There is a part of me that understands the burden of gruesome memories, and I wouldn't wish something like that upon my worst enemy. So my solution was to offer them somewhere to stay, somewhere quiet where they can find peace, hopefully. I did not intend to hit Jaehwan, but he provoked me and in my rage, I lost sight of judgment. A mistake I will not make again."

Hakyeon's hand had stilled on the chair, his eyes glued to Ravi's broad back, shadowed in the contrast of light from the fire's flames. They had never spoken like this before, and Hakyeon didn't know if this was touching or uncomfortable. But he was definitely feeling something right now. There was an odd charge between them, and it crawled under Hakyeon's skin as he continued to listen to Ravi speak.

"You saw their faces when they first arrived, yes?" Ravi asked in a quiet, raspy voice.

Hakyeon nodded before remembering that Ravi wasn't looking at him. "Yes, I did."

"They are fresh souls, recently deceased. When they stood before us then, they had passed into the Underworld only moments before. Those expressions, their last and most recent memories were of what took them from the world of the living."

Hakyeon felt his chest constrict at the revelation, the stinging prick of tears cropping up behind his eyes. Before he could dwell on the news and onslaught of emotions, Ravi's soft voice continued to speak.

"I know that you dislike and distrust me, and that every day you spend here is agony for you. But I ask you to remember this when you interact with those souls in the coming days. They are still bitter, perhaps confused and in varying levels of pain. Be patient with them and remember that they are adjusting. Not unlike you. I am not asking much, and this is not a command, but you of all people should be able to emphasize with them. And they may trust you more than they trust me after what occurred in the throne room."

"You're asking me...to console them?" Hakyeon asked, not entirely understanding where Ravi was trying to go with this. He didn't want to be a babysitter for some depressed spirits, even if he could relate to their situations.

"No," Ravi said firmly, finally turning away from the fire to look at Hakyeon with an intensity that sent shivers running up and down Hakyeon's spine. "I'm asking you to listen to them if they come to you, and to be patient with them as you now share this castle with more than just myself. I may tolerate your desolate attitude, but I cannot guarantee that they will."

Before Hakyeon could shoot back some rude comment in retaliation, the undead servants started filing in with the silverware and plates for dinner. It would be awkward to start shouting at their King while they were in the room, so Hakyeon bottled up his rage and turned sharply away from his master's heated look. He would find time later to return the attitude jab. For now, he sat down heavily in his chair at the table.

Unfortunately, it was placed at the opposite end of the table from Ravi's. Which meant he would have to avoid direct eye contact for the entire duration of the meal.

As Hakyeon fiddled with the silverware that the undead servant had placed in front of him, he was surprised to see that Taekwoon and Hongbin were the first to walk in, escorted by a pair of undead servants who had obviously gone to collect them and lead them through the maze of corridors. They looked around the spacious room before shuffling quietly over to the table to take their seats. The four additional chairs for their guests had been placed on the sides of the grand table, leaving enough room between each to accommodate the spread of silverware and plates that each would use for the meal. Taekwoon sat himself on Ravi's right, Hongbin taking the seat beside Taekwoon so he sat at Hakyeon's left.

It was a few moments later that Hakyeon then lost a bet with himself, as Jaehwan trudged into the dining room, following yet another undead guide. He took up the seat at Hakyeon's right, glancing briefly at him as Jaehwan slouched slightly in the seat. When Hakyeon looked back at the door, Sanghyuk walked through, the guide exiting as soon as they were sure Sanghyuk knew that this room was his destination. Without a word or a look at anyone, the boy walked over to the last empty chair and sat at Ravi's left, staring blankly down at his plate.

The food was brought out almost immediately after Sanghyuk sat down, the servants quickly filling up each of the plates in front of those seated. Hakyeon couldn't help the soft grumble in his abdomen, thankful that the clatter of plates being filled and moved around masked the noise. It wasn't until the servants had left the room that Ravi spoke to the new spirits among them.

"I trust you all found your new quarters to your liking." It wasn't a question, it was an assumption, one that none of the souls denied. "As I'm sure you were told, you may request anything that you would like to make the space feel more personal. The same applies to meals. If you have a request, you need only ask."

With that, Ravi picked up his utensils and began eating, clearly done talking for the moment. Taekwoon and Hongbin looked from Ravi to their plates before following the King's lead. Hakyeon picked up his own fork, glancing at Jaehwan, who had apparently decided to dig in heartily after taking a tentative first bite. However, Sanghyuk simply sat and stared down at his plate for a long couple of moments before finally picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

The rest of the meal passed in silence, the only sounds being the soft clinking of silverware against plates, and the crackling of the flames devouring the logs in the fireplace. Hakyeon kept his eyes on his plate for the majority of the meal, not knowing what he would do if he looked up and made eye contact with anyone anyway. It was only when the undead servants started filing in to collect the plates that anyone started to leave the table.

Ravi was gone quickly, Hakyeon knowing that he most likely still had business to attend to. Taekwoon and Sanghyuk slipped out so quietly that Hakyeon didn't actually notice them leave until he looked around from where he had been staring into the fireplace for a few moments. At that point, Jaehwan was wandering off, looking deep in thought as he almost slammed face first into the wall. Thankfully, the boy figured out where the opening of the archway actually was before that happened.

The quiet sound of someone clearing their throat drew Hakyeon's attention to the remaining spirit.

"Hongbin, wasn't it?" Hakyeon asked after a short, awkward staring contest.

"Yes," Hongbin nodded shortly, his cheeks flushed pink as he looked down at the floor.

Waiting a moment for Hongbin to speak up, Hakyeon pushed out an inpatient sigh when the spirit only stood in silence. "Did you need something?"

"I-I actually had a question...about you."

Blinking, Hakyeon stared at Hongbin for a long moment before he just nodded and gestured for the timid spirit to follow him. They left the dining room, where the undead servants were still moving about and cleaning things up, and headed down one of the long hallways of the palace. Hakyeon could feel Hongbin close at his heel, almost like he was afraid of being left behind. Hakyeon had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from asking Hongbin if that was true.

Eventually, Hakyeon turned and slipped into a doorway at nearly the opposite end of the hall from the dining room. Hongbin followed quickly behind him, looking around the large space they had entered with awe. At the end of his first week here, Hakyeon had found this room - the main study - and now spent a fair amount of time hiding in here. There was another large fireplace set into the wall, surrounded by a couple of large, plush reading chairs. All around the walls and stretching up to the ceiling lost in shadows were cases and cases filled with books.

Hakyeon shut the study door behind them and made his way over to the chairs, grateful that the fire had been lit and was roaring peacefully behind a little iron gate. He sat down in a chair and settled in, waiting for Hongbin to join him. The skittish spirit took his time coming over to join Hakyeon. He didn't really know why, but bringing Hongbin somewhere quiet so they could talk in peace had just seemed like the right thing to do to Hakyeon.

"Are you-" Hongbin's voice sounded at Hakyeon's side, prompting him to look up from where he had been staring at the fire. Hongbin was nervously standing in front of the chair beside Hakyeon's, clearly nervous and trying to start his question again. "Are you a prisoner here?"

"What?"

Wincing, Hongbin sat down uneasily, avoiding Hakyeon's gaze. His fingers moved continuously, picking at his fingernails and tugging at the hem of his sleeves.

"I just meant...you were sitting in a throne, but you speak to the King so formally. You also seem really angry - or sad, I haven't figured it out. And I-I overheard you say something to Jaehwan about the four of us having more freedom than you did. So...are you King Ravi's prisoner?"

Chuckling, Hakyeon sat forward and shook his head, impressed. "You really pay attention, don't you?" Hongbin's eyes seemed to fill with panic before Hakyeon continued, trying to reassure the soul that he wasn't upset. "That's not a bad thing. I'm just surprised, I suppose. But...you could say that I'm a prisoner here. It was partly of my own fault and partly because of Lord Ravi's own selfishness.

"He kidnapped me a while back, and while I was being kept here, I ate some food of the Underworld. According to ancient laws, it meant I was forever bound here and couldn't leave. Thankfully, my uncle intervened and I was given an unpleasant compromise. I spend three months of the year here and the rest in the heavens with my mother and the other gods."

"Gods?" Hongbin asked, tilting his head a little. Hakyeon thought he looked a bit like a puppy.

"Oh, right, I'm an immortal like Lord Ravi."

Hongbin nodded, clearly mystified and trying to digest the news. "But..." he said, clearly thinking hard. "Didn't you eat more Underworld food at dinner? Does that affect your compromise?"

"You're very intelligent, aren't you?" Hakyeon asked in rhetoric. "The food served at dinner is different. It is not directly created from the essence of the Underworld like the fruit I ate before."

Hongbin nodded, his gaze turning towards the flames, leading Hakyeon to believe that the questions were finished for now. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to recall what had happened. But there was something about Hongbin that made Hakyeon feel at peace, like he could trust this spirit to just listen and understand. But now he was curious himself.

"Hongbin?" Hakyeon asked softly, knowing he was probably entering dangerous territory. When the spirit's eyes turned to him, Hakyeon asked, "What happened to you? How did you end up here?"

As expected, Hongbin went tense, his eyes widened with a considerable amount of fear and he seemed to go pale in the firelight. Hakyeon didn't press, but watched the young man and waited to see if he would answer. There was no point in forcing Hongbin to tell him, especially since the memories of his death were still very fresh. After a few short moments, it became clear to Hakyeon that Hongbin was not going to answer him.

Turning his gaze away, Hakyeon stared into the fire to try and give Hongbin some sense of privacy. "You don't have to tell me, Hongbin. I know it's probably not something you want to think about."

"That's- not-" Hongbin's words came out, strangled, between gasps for air. Hakyeon looked over, alarmed, and found Hongbin curled in on himself on the floor. The spirit's back was pressed against the chair behind him. Hakyeon stood and moved to sit with Hongbin, reaching out tentatively to grab Hongbin's hand. The spirit was gasping, struggling to breathe in and out in a normal way. Distantly, Hakyeon thought it seemed sickeningly ironic that a deceased spirit was hyperventilating and having a panic attack. It just seemed...wrong. He briefly remembered Ravi's words, about listening to and being there for the new spirits. Hakyeon suspected that Ravi had foreseen something like this happening and it made him feel a little bitter towards his master. Why could he not just speak plainly?

But now was not the time to be angry at Ravi. Hongbin's current state demanded Hakyeon's attention.

"Hongbin, look at me," Hakyeon said firmly, gently applying pressure to the spirit's hand. Hongbin didn't react to Hakyeon's instructions for another handful of moments. Hakyeon stayed where he was, watching Hongbin to make sure he didn't get worse. Every now and then, Hakyeon would quietly remind Hongbin that he was still there; gently applying pressure to Hongbin's hand or kneecap and softly asking Hongbin to look at him.

Eventually Hongbin did lift his eyes to Hakyeon's, his breath still hitching on it's way out. Hakyeon offered a small smile, feeling awkward smiling at someone so genuinely after two long weeks of doing exactly the opposite. But now was not the time to focus on that.

"Try to hold your breath in for a couple seconds before you let it out," Hakyeon gently encouraged Hongbin. "And don't worry, okay? You don't have to answer my question. It's clear you aren't ready to."

They sat like that for a while, even after Hongbin had calmed down. Hakyeon watched the glowing embers in the fireplace, tracking the bits of wood that fell among the smoldering embers as well. It was mildly entertaining and at least gave him something to do besides staring at Hongbin - who very clearly did not want to be stared at after panicking.

"My fault," Hongbin mumbled after a while, making Hakyeon jump a little at the sudden sound of his voice.

"What?"

"It was my fault," Hongbin repeated. "I-I couldn't take living in that hell hole a second longer, so I ran away. But I...it was dark, I was lost, and I saw something I wasn't supposed to. I got scared and I ran into some stupid trash can and then...there was so much pain and shouting and then I was here."

"You ran away?" Hakyeon asked softly, feeling that protective urge once again. Resigned, he didn't bother to suppress it this time. Hakyeon shifted to sit beside Hongbin instead of in front of him. Placing a hesitant arm across Hongbin's shoulders, Hakyeon waited again to see if the spirit would speak on his own.

"From my guardian. He's horrible. He would lock me in the bathroom when I made him mad and there was no way out of there. I missed a lot of school and I couldn't ever go anywhere and I spent so much time in that damn bathroom. I kept calling out for help, hoping someone would hear me. But no one ever came to help. I either screamed my throat raw or until my guardian got tired of my shouting and came in to beat me even more." Hongbin looked angrier now than anything, tears visibly forming at the corners of his eyes as he spoke. Hakyeon gave his shoulders a hopefully reassuring squeeze before Hongbin kept talking.

"He would hit me and yell at me before locking me up, and one day I just snapped. I was sick of it all so I beat the shit out of him. And I know I shouldn't be proud of that, but I am. I ran away after that and saw some sort of deal going down that I really shouldn't have. I shouldn't have even been there, but after running away I didn't have anywhere else to go, so it was just my luck. I was clumsy; they shot me, beat me, and left me for dead. And that was a slow way to go out. They made sure of that."

Hakyeon couldn't help the little noise that escaped his throat, drawing Hongbin's attention to the immortal's face. Ravi had told him that these spirits had had horrible lives, but he had never imagined that the source of that pain and suffering could have come from those they called family. Thinking of his mother and uncle in the heavens, Hakyeon's chest constricted with sympathy.

"You will never have to endure something like that here, Hongbin," Hakyeon choked out.

"But you do," Hongbin said softly, making Hakyeon pause. "You said that you're basically a prisoner here, just like I was at my guardian's house. Why should my experience here be any different than yours? Not to mention I can't even leave the Underworld considering I'm dead!"

"Hongbin," Hakyeon whispered, surprised at the sudden anger that flooded into the boy's expression. He wanted to argue against that, try to calm Hongbin down and reassure him that things would be okay here. But Hakyeon's voice failed him and he moved his gaze away from the spirit as he removed his arm from around Hongbin's shoulders. Hakyeon suspected that the spirits really weren't prisoners here, and that they would be free to roam wherever. But it was hard to convincingly portray that idea to them when it was clear they did not feel free.

"You can't even convince yourself that we aren't all prisoners here," Hongbin accused quietly. "We are no more freer here than when we were alive."

"But you are," Hakyeon insisted, taken aback by the conviction in his tone. "You are not confined to this palace, but it is one of the more peaceful places in the Underworld. Lord Ravi has no intention of making you feel suffocated and kept in. He only wishes that you feel comfortable and safe here after what you were made to endure during your lives."

"Why does he care?" Hongbin asked in a bitter voice, though he sounded a little less so, like he was entertaining the idea that Ravi had not brought them here to suffer further. Even Hakyeon was starting to believe that, but he had not entirely let his guard down. There was a large part of Hakyeon that still distrusted Ravi.

"I'm not sure," Hakyeon answered Hongbin after a moment. "He has not divulged that information entirely to me, but from what I have understood, he feels that you and the other three were so unfairly burdened in life that he has decided to try and ease your suffering in the afterlife. His personal reasons for this run much deeper than I care to dive into with him. He and I may share the throne pedestal, but we are in no way close to each other."

"Why does he treat you like this?" Hongbin asked suddenly. The young spirit's cheeks flushed when Hakyeon looked over at him sharply. "I-I mean...sorry. I just-meant...why do you seem like you're being treated as royalty alongside Ravi when you're so convinced you are a prisoner? At first glance, no one would assume you were here against your will."

Pausing, Hakyeon looked back at the fireplace once more and shook his head a little. "Sometimes I feel like he does it as a sick joke. Like he's trying to make me forget that I am here against my will. There was a brief moment when I believed that I was not a prisoner here, but when I realized that I was not permitted to leave or even wander anywhere outside of this desolate palace, it became very clear that I am nothing more than a toy prisoner."

As the pair lapsed into silence, Hakyeon began to wonder why it was so easy to talk to these spirits. First he had spoken easily with Jaehwan and now he was sitting comfortably with Hongbin after each having shared very personal thoughts and stories. Perhaps Ravi had really understood Hakyeon's misery more than he let on, and was trying to get him to open up to someone if not himself. And as much as it annoyed Hakyeon to think it, talking with Hongbin had helped him release a great deal of built up tension and bitterness. His mind felt clearer for the first time since being down here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shitty in my opinion since nothing much really happens, but it's mostly interactions so...yeah? Enjoy?
> 
> Also if there's anything y'all want to see happen, drop a suggestion and I might just add it in.

“Why did I ever think this book would be interesting?” Hakyeon lamented softly to himself. Flipping the book shut with a snap, Hakyeon placed it on the bench beside him, sighing in disappointment at yet another dull book from the study’s library selection. Hongbin and Hakyeon had taken to spending most of their days together. Sometimes their time together overlapped into the later hours of their days, Hongbin afraid of spending the evening alone, so he would sit with Hakyeon and they would talk about anything that came to mind. Their days, however, were usually spent wandering the grounds or reading together in the study. Today had been one of the days they spent apart, so Hakyeon was sitting outside the palace with his dull book.

It had been about a week since the spirits had arrived in the Underworld, and about three weeks since Hakyeon’s three-month sentence had started. The days were still quiet, but the company and presence of the other spirits now residing here had made the palace feel a little less suffocating, even if Hongbin was the only one who willingly reached out to Hakyeon. It was nice to see others wandering through the halls sometimes.

Sighing wearily, Hakyeon braced his hands on the bench surface underneath him and leaned back a little to stare up at the cavernous roof above. Though it was entirely shrouded in shadow, as it was so high above the ground, so Hakyeon could really only imagine what it looked like.

The soft grumbling of his stomach interrupted his thoughts. Groaning quietly, Hakyeon wondered if he had waited long enough to avoid Ravi in the dining room yet. Running into his master was really the last thing that Hakyeon wanted after spending the day in lovely solitude.

“Do you mind some company?”

So much for his perfect solitude.

Twisting to look over his shoulder, Hakyeon found Ravi standing a few paces behind him, hands clasped behind his back as he watched Hakyeon with an expectant yet almost neutral expression. Hakyeon honestly had no idea how Ravi could portray two entirely different emotions at once.

“It’s you’re palace, My Lord,” Hakyeon replied in deadpan, turning back to his original position. His comment drew an irritated noise from Ravi, reaching Hakyeon’s ears as he turned away. It sparked a prick of guilt in his chest, knowing that he was being bitter and cold.

“No,” Hakyeon sighed after a moment. “I don’t mind, My Lord.”

Ravi shuffled around the end of the bench and sat beside Hakyeon, his hands shifting from behind his back in an odd fashion. Hakyeon wondered briefly if he was hiding something, and the thought set him on edge before there was something being shoved in front of him. Blinking, it took a couple of moments before Hakyeon understood what it was he was looking at.

“Oh my-” Hakyeon breathed, cutting himself off as he clasped a hand over his mouth. Looking up at Ravi in awe and confusion, Hakyeon was shocked to find that the Lord of Death’s cheeks were colored slightly with embarrassment. Hesitantly, Hakyeon slid his fingers around the bundle of stems, his hand brushing lightly against the glove that Ravi was wearing.

“How did you ever get these?” Hakyeon breathed, holding the bouquet of flowers with reverence. There were so many, bundled together with care and tied off with twine in a neat, efficient fashion. The buds and blossoms were bursting with color – deep crimson roses, yellow daises, and stunningly purple lavender and intense indigo violets. There were a few snow-white lilies sticking out above the other smaller flowers as their petals spread majestically. At the center of the bouquet was a miniature sunflower, the large blossom seeming to glow from the pop of yellow it provided to the dark caverns.

“They’re so beautiful,” Hakyeon whispered, his voice thick with emotion as the threat of tears pricked behind his eyes. It was surprising to him that Ravi could move him so with such a simple gesture. Glancing over at the king again, Hakyeon could still visibly see the flush spreading under Ravi’s cheeks as he avoided Hakyeon’s eye, focusing instead on tugging off his glove.

“I know you’ve been missing color since you’ve gotten here, so I managed to find some rather vibrant flora to bring here. They won’t last long, but they should survive well for a couple days, as long as you care for them.”

The gratitude that had spread warmly through Hakyeon’s chest receded when he thought of what the gesture could mean. Was Ravi trying to appease him so that Hakyeon’s presence around the palace would be less dismal and stop annoying Ravi so much? But then again, it didn’t feel as if that was what Ravi had intended. It almost felt like Hakyeon was supposed to understand something that he couldn’t quite reach just yet.

Instead, he looked back down at the bouquet and brushed his fingers reverently over the enormous center of the sunflower. In a hushed voice, and without looking at Ravi, Hakyeon wondered aloud. “How did you know that sunflowers were my favorite?”

Clearing his throat before speaking, Ravi tugged at the fingers of his second glove, moving to take it off. “I merely guessed, since the first time I saw you, you were surrounded by daises and sunflowers. You also seem to really love sunlight, so I hoped that the sunflower would help you miss it a little less, even if just for a little while.”

Staring at Ravi for a prolonged moment, Hakyeon couldn’t think of a response at first. Eventually he pushed out a heavy breath and continued to admire the bouquet of flowers. He ran his fingers airily over the waxy petals and smiled softly to himself.

“I appreciate the gesture, my Lord. But if this is a pity present, or your idea of appeasing my mood, then I would rather you not do things like this.” Hakyeon took a deep breath as he felt Ravi go taught beside him. He continued quickly before things got ugly. “However, I do really love the flowers, my Lord. I will cherish them while they are still vibrant here.”

Standing, not forgetting the dull novel, Hakyeon started to make his way back to the palace so he could properly care for the blossoms. He wondered if the kitchen staff would lend him a vase. The undead servants could be so possessive when it came to the materials related to their work. Pausing, Hakyeon turned back to Ravi minutely, twisting his head to look over his shoulder at the Lord of Death. He was looking despondent as he remained on the bench.

“Thank you, Lord Ravi,” Hakyeon said in a soft, genuine voice. Ravi looked up quickly at Hakyeon’s voice, making brief eye contact with him before Hakyeon turned away to continue making his way into the palace. He really did appreciate Ravi going out of his way to obviously go to the surface world and fetch these flowers for him. But there was something that left Hakyeon wondering if there was some sort of ulterior motive to the gesture.

_Just what is he trying to do? Make me fall for him?_ Hakyeon wondered with mild distaste. But he couldn’t help the pleasant idea of being brought gifts like this often if he did end up in Ravi’s favor.

Hakyeon was quick to shake the thought from his mind. Everything that happened here meant nothing, it was all temporary. Hakyeon refused to become attached.

* * *

There were very few days during his time away from Olympus that Hakyeon allowed himself to completely sink into utter despondence. The first time it had happened occurred on his first night away from home. The second time had only lasted a few hours before Hakyeon had put himself to bed; that had been the night the spirits had arrived.

The third time was right now.

Hakyeon’s flowers from Ravi were very near being completely shriveled up. The absence of color and life had gotten to Hakyeon and now he sat on the floor of his room, back pressed against the side of his bed. With his knees drawn to his chest, Hakyeon mournfully sunk deeper and deeper into despair as he pined for the warm, lit halls of Olympus. He tried to remember the softness of his mother’s embrace, the sound of the muses playing in the open pavilion, tried to remember anything that might make him feel less homesick.

Remembering only made him ache all the more, however.

Shakily, Hakyeon pushed his stiff limbs that had been cramped from sitting curled up for too long, so he could stand up. Making his way over to the large ebony chest that sat at the foot of the bed, Hakyeon placed the small basket that sat atop the chest onto the bed sheets so he could open the lid. Digging around the contents for a few moments, Hakyeon finally produced the small bundle he had been searching for.

Almost reverently, Hakyeon sat on the floor tailor’s style as he gingerly pulled the securing twine loose. The wrappings came away easily, revealing the brightly colored pile of cloth inside. With shaking fingers, Hakyeon picked up the soft pink fabric, smiling wistfully at the garment before clutching it to his chest.

The only thing Hakyeon had with him from home was this outfit, the clothes he had been wearing the day Ravi took him back to the Underworld after his mother had been forced to let him go. It was not a happy memory, but the clothing still had the scents of Olympus clinging between the thread, allowing Hakyeon a small comfort.

A gentle knock at the door startled Hakyeon, his head whipping around to stare wide-eyed at the door. Cursing quietly, Hakyeon messily wrapped the garment up and stowed it away. With as little clatter as possible, Hakyeon replaced the lid to the chest and the basket before hastily scrambling to answer the knock.

Trying not to appear flustered, Hakyeon opened the door and found himself face to face with none other than The Lord of Death. Confusion settled quickly over Hakyeon’s expression, forgetting that he usually met his master with a deadpan.

“My Lord,” Hakyeon dipped his head a little in greeting. “May I help you?”

Ravi’s expression twisted for the briefest of moments at the formality, before he seemed to shake away the displeasure for the sake of appearing neutral.

“Yes, you can. I was hoping that you would join me at dinner this evening.”

Knowing that he probably did not actually have a choice, no matter how much that sounded like a request instead of a command, Hakyeon nodded his consent. Regardless of his distaste of company, Hakyeon was actually pretty hungry.

“Of course, my Lord.”

Ravi took a step back to allow Hakyeon to exit his room, looking somewhat pleased underneath the ever-present stoicism. Hakyeon tried to remind himself to be pleasant; it was just dinner.

The pair walked side by side down the empty corridor in silence. Hakyeon was mildly surprised to find himself not all that uncomfortable with the lack of conversation between them. In fact, it almost felt content.

Arriving at the dining room, Ravi moved to let Hakyeon enter first, following behind him to then pull out Hakyeon’s chair for him. Finding himself smiling gratefully to Ravi, Hakyeon slid into his chair and let Ravi push the chair in.

The table was already set for dinner, so once Ravi had sat down in his own chair at the other end of the table, they both dug into their meals, remaining comfortably silent.

Eventually, Ravi’s voice cut softly through the pleasant silence, the gentle crackling of the logs in the fire a background to his voice. “Have you spoken to any of the spirits, Hakyeon?”

Looking up from his dinner, Hakyeon set his fork aside and finished his bite before nodding and staring at Ravi’s shoulder, feeling awkward at maintaining eye contact with Ravi.

“I have,” Hakyeon started haltingly. “Hongbin and I speak often, most of the time we are in the study looking for reading material. Jaehwan is distant, but we’ve spoken a couple times. Sanghyuk and Taekwoon however are…harder to approach. I hardly see a trace of them, anyway.”

Ravi nodded, his own utensils set aside as he listened to Hakyeon with rapt attention. From across the long table, Hakyeon swore that Ravi almost looked contemplative – like he was strategizing. Shifting in his seat, Hakyeon tried to shake the odd feeling off.

“Have you spoken to Hongbin or Jaehwan about their pasts?”

“What?” Hakyeon blinked, taken off guard by the question.

“I told you that they were burdened spirits, not unlike the two of us. Have you spoken to any of them about their lives before they came here?”

Hesitating, Hakyeon wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about what Hongbin had divulged to him that first night. But then again, Hakyeon remembered that Ravi already knew their life stories – probably better than they knew their own lives.

“Hongbin spoke to me,” Hakyeon conceded with a small nod. “He sought me out that first night they were here after dinner. I think…that he was overwhelmed and wanted someone to talk to. But yes, he and I have spoken about what happened to him.”

Ravi nodded from across the table, seeming somewhat satisfied that Hakyeon had been in contact with at least one of the spirits.

Taking in a quick breath, Hakyeon spoke before he could second-guess himself. “I really love the bouquet you brought me, my Lord.” Hakyeon could immediately feel himself flushing all the way from the roots of his hair to the base of his neck. He couldn’t find it in himself to look up from his plate, too embarrassed to meet Ravi’s eyes.

“They’re beautiful, and they smell very nice. They’ve pretty much shriveled up at this point, but they lasted a little over a week and I enjoyed them while they were vibrant. So…thank you.”

Ravi remained silent, making Hakyeon feel even more embarrassed and flustered. He was silently shouting at Ravi to say something and break the awkwardly tense silence that was stretching endlessly between them.

Finally, Hakyeon risked a look up at Ravi and was completely stunned to find him looking almost as flustered as Hakyeon felt. The Lord of Death was staring down at his plate with blush dusting his cheeks and perching on his ears, as he remained quiet. Slapping a hand over his mouth, Hakyeon forcefully tried to keep his laughter from bubbling past his lips. It was hard to believe, but the completely baffled expression that Ravi was currently wearing was so ridiculously out of the character that Hakyeon knew him to be, making it all the more amusing.

Ravi looked back to Hakyeon when the prince failed to keep a chuckle from slipping out. The sound only served to paint Ravi’s cheeks with more crimson as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in the beginning of a grin. Before either of them knew what was happening, Ravi and Hakyeon were both laughing into the previously tense atmosphere, amused by each other’s flustered reactions. The laughter bubbled up from their chests and tumbled past their lips as they continued to shed the previously uncomfortable ambiance that had been surrounding them.

Once Hakyeon had managed to catch his breath again, he looked across the table to Ravi and found the King leaning comfortably against the back of his chair, an easy smile on his lips and his eyes slightly scrunched at the corners as they sparkled. Hakyeon felt his heart miss a beat, surprised at how much less intimidating that smile made Ravi seem. It was also the first time he had heard Ravi laugh; the sound was deep and soothing, making Hakyeon feel at ease.

They finished their dinner in a silence more comfortable than the one they had been resting in at the beginning of the meal. There was a newfound ease to their relationship, one that wasn’t so tense and unsure. Ravi even came over to Hakyeon’s end of the table and pulled his chair out for him to stand up. Hakyeon found himself nodding gratefully at the action before he was even aware that he was doing so.

Hakyeon walked at Ravi’s shoulder throughout the corridors of the palace, both of them now entirely relaxed as Ravi bid goodnight to Hakyeon at the prince’s bedroom door. Hakyeon watched Ravi’s retreating back for a couple of moments, before slipping into his room and falling into bed. It was only then that he realized how odd dinner had been.

The two of them had never really gotten along, laughed, had a conversation like that before; and it was odd but it also had a way of feeling right. Hakyeon didn’t see anything wrong with the two of them having a casual conversation, but it was new territory and he was unsure of how to proceed.

Heaving out a sleepy sigh, Hakyeon shed the clothes he didn’t want to wear to bed before crawling under the sheets and slipping away from consciousness.

* * *

There was a small patio that stretched lazily towards the palace gardens that Hakyeon had discovered around the time he had first arrived. He had not, however, had a chance to find it again and simply enjoy sitting in the quiet, serene area. He was here now though, with Jaehwan surprisingly enough.

Jaehwan had bumped into Hakyeon in the corridor outside their bedrooms, and the shadowed look to Jaehwan’s eyes had let Hakyeon know that the young spirit was probably in need of some company – whether he knew it or not.

They weren’t exactly doing anything, merely sitting and occasionally making small talk over warm drinks they had managed to swipe from the kitchen. The undead servants had begrudgingly handed over the mugs, miffed about serving something that wasn’t at a scheduled time. Hakyeon, however, had learned how to be convincing in his time here.

So there they sat.

“You seem…happier,” Jaehwan’s voice spoke into the silence between them, brushing Hakyeon’s thoughts away.

“I do?” Hakyeon asked, startled. “Compared to what?”

“To when we first got here. You were sitting next to Ravi in that throne looking like you wished you were actually dead. But now it looks like you just seem almost content. Did something happen?”

Hakyeon looked away from Jaehwan, his eyes fixating on the steam curling lazily up from his drink. He thought about Jaehwan’s question and found that he could feel the beginnings of a tiny smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s just become…easier? I suppose? Ravi has been making more of an effort to spend time with me and actually be pleasant company. I know it sounds ridiculous considering the experiences you’ve had with him…but he’s actually not that horrible.”

Jaehwan sniffed a tiny grin, looking anything but humorous.

“I’m sure he’s a real saint.”

Hakyeon remained silent, not knowing how to answer, and not wanting to risk answering lest he upset Jaehwan. He shifted in his chair and took another sip of his drink, sniffling a little as the steam curled into his face. He stared out at the intertwining bricks of the patio and traced the pattern with his eyes, getting lost in the lines between the stones.

“Does he make you happy?”

Hakyeon startled, almost dropping his drink in the process. He looked around at Jaehwan and gave him a confused look.

“What?”

“The king,” Jaehwan said simply. “Does he make you happy?”

Hakyeon’s immediate answer was going to be that, of course not, Ravi was incapable of making Hakyeon happy after everything that Ravi had put him through. But then he started thinking; he remembered the flowers that Ravi had brought him, the dinner they had together where they laughed easily, as if they were old friends. Hakyeon could remember the pink dusting Ravi’s cheeks from across the table and he felt his heart flutter just slightly with fondness.

“I’ll take the stupid look on your face right now as a confirmation,” Jaehwan’s voice broke through Hakyeon’s thoughts. “It’s fine if he makes you happy, just don’t expect the rest of us to love the dude just because he offered us a place after we all kicked the bucket tragically.”

Hakyeon shook his head, trying to ignore the feeling of blush mounting in his cheeks.

“I would never expect any of you to feel something that wasn’t real. I just wanted you to know not to completely write him off. At least give him a chance.”

Jaehwan grunted noncommittally and went back to his drink.

They sat there for a little while longer, staring out over the garden in silence. Hakyeon was unable to really get any details about Jaehwan’s mood during their staccato conversation; but he could tell that just being there with the spirit seemed to help in some small way.

Jaehwan’s previous questioning about Hakyeon’s feelings towards Ravi left him reeling. Hakyeon hadn’t realized until that moment that Ravi had actually been making an effort to amend their relationship. Granted, kidnapping was not exactly the best way to get to know someone, but now Ravi was actually trying to treat Hakyeon as an equal. He gave Hakyeon the freedom to wander about the palace, gave him gifts that meant something to Hakyeon, and tried to be courteous towards the prince.

It was strange to realize all of this so abruptly.

There was the sudden telltale sound of shoes against the marble in the hallway behind them before a voice softly called, “Hakyeon?”

Twisting around in his seat, Hakyeon felt his eyebrows lift in surprise.

“My Lord? What are you doing here?” Hakyeon went to stand, but Ravi gestured for him to stay seated and merely stood beside Hakyeon’s chair, a hand resting on the back in a way that looked almost possessive from a certain angle. But Hakyeon surprisingly didn’t mind.

“I came to find you because I wanted to show you something,” Ravi spoke, his voice soft. “However, if you are otherwise occupied, I can always find you another time.”

Hakyeon was about to answer, to say that he was spending time with Jaehwan, but the spirit beat him to it.

“We were just talking, but I was just about to head back to my room, so he’s all yours Mr. King,” Jaehwan said, his tone bored as he pushed to his feet. Hakyeon could feel the tension mount suddenly and uncomfortably between the two, and he ducked his head to look down at his feet awkwardly.

“Thank you for spending time with me, Hakyeon,” Jaehwan tossed over his shoulder as he walked back towards the palace. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Jaehwan,” Hakyeon called after the retreating spirit before hesitantly looking back up at Ravi.

“What—” Hakyeon felt his voice falter and he paused to clear his throat, setting his drink aside with a slight tremor to his fingers. “What did you want to show me, My Lord?”

Ravi took a step back and offered his gloved hand to Hakyeon, tugging him to his feet once he had accepted the offered hand. He could only looked around in confusion as Ravi pulled Hakyeon along after him into the gardens just off the edge of the patio without any explanation.

“My Lord?”

“Here,” Ravi gestured towards the ground, prompting Hakyeon to gasp in surprise at the large clump of pure, uncut rubies sprouting up from the dark soil like a plant would. There seemed to be a faint glow radiating off of them, giving the chunk of gemstone an ethereal aura.

“Oh my goodness,” Hakyeon breathed, crouching down beside the rubies. “They’re enormous! And look at the color. I’ve never seen gems with such pure color before.”

“These kind of gems grow all over the palace gardens,” Ravi said, kneeling beside Hakyeon and sparing him a fond smile before placing a hand on the rubies. Seeming to fix his concentration entirely on the rubies, Hakyeon could only watch in wonder as the king somehow managed to break off a smaller chunk of the rock. He didn’t even do anything, merely closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath before the tiny stone tumbled free of the larger chunk and fell into Ravi’s open palm.

Hakyeon watched in awe as Ravi opened his eyes and produced a golden chain from a pocket in his pants. The king’s hands moved so deftly that it almost seemed like magic when he held up the chain and the ruby was fastened securely to it. The stone pulsed with a gentle, faint light, looking almost like a tiny heartbeat.

“This is for you,” Ravi murmured, that pink dusting to his cheeks – something becoming familiar to Hakyeon – was there as he presented the gift to the prince. He seemed unable to meet Hakyeon’s eyes, embarrassed.

“Really?” Hakyeon breathed in surprise. “What for?” Even as he questioned the gift, he moved so that Ravi could drape the jewel around Hakyeon’s neck and secure the chain. The stone nestled itself between the dip of Hakyeon’s collarbones, feeling cool against his skin.

“These stones have several meanings in different cultures,” Ravi explained in a quiet voice, the fabric of his gloves brushing against the skin of Hakyeon’s neck as he worked the clip of the chain. “In many, they represent the heart, and in others, they are meant to bring luck and good fortune.”

“So why are you giving this to me?” Hakyeon questioned again, turning to face the king after the necklace was secure. Ravi seemed even more flustered than when he had started talking, but the king was resolutely pretending that he was not.

Ravi stuttered and stumbled over his words for a few long moments before he cleared his throat and immediately stood back up. Hakyeon followed Ravi to his feet a little more hesitantly. The king seemed extremely flustered, and it was unlike anything that Hakyeon knew how to maneuver when it came to Ravi. So he simply waited for Ravi to find his voice.

“Because I was feeling generous,” Ravi eventually choked out. “And as I said before, I know that you are missing color. I thought this would last longer than flowers while providing that color for you.”

Fingers drifting idly to the stone, Hakyeon sniffed a tiny smile at Ravi and fiddled with his new jewelry.

“Thank you, Lord Ravi,” Hakyeon said quietly. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

They were quiet for a few more moments before Hakyeon cleared his throat a little and clasped his hands together in front of him. He could feel the nerves twisting through his stomach at…whatever this encounter was between them.

“Lord Ravi?” Hakyeon asked softly. “Why…why have you been giving me gifts recently? Is there something you’re trying to convey?”

Ravi hesitated for a few long moments, staring intensely at Hakyeon and seeming to search his expression as he did so. It made Hakyeon’s stomach twist even tighter but he held his ground and waited for Ravi’s answer as patiently as he could. Just as the king opened his mouth to answer, Hakyeon’s heart jumping into his throat at the action, a servant appeared just down the garden path from them. Looking briefly over at the spirit, Ravi seemed to understand what it wanted without needing to exchange words. He heaved out a sharp breath and nodded to the servant.

“I’m sorry this is so abrupt, but I am needed to attend to my duties,” Ravi genuinely seemed to regret the interruption, his expression pinched. “Will you be all right if I leave you on your own?”

The question took Hakyeon back for a moment and he blinked owlishly at the king. He had spent much of his time here so far on his own, so he wondered why Ravi seemed to care now. Regardless, he offered Ravi a tiny smile and nod.

“I will be fine, My Lord,” Hakyeon promised him.

Ravi nodded in return, hesitating for a moment longer before he turned and walked briskly after the servant back towards the palace. He left Hakyeon in the garden, the prince’s fingers dancing airily over the ruby as his heart fluttered uncertainly.

* * *

Wandering aimlessly through the palace, Hakyeon listened to the rhythmic clicking of his shoes against the marble. It was helping to pass the time as he walked, counting the paces and seeing if he could hear one echo over another. He had decided to pass on dinner, not sure if he was yet ready to sit facing Ravi for however long it took to eat. Not after their encounter in the garden. He wasn’t even sure if Ravi would be there, but he didn’t want to chance it.

It wasn’t that Hakyeon thought of it as a bad experience, but he had yet to sort out his emotions on exactly what had happened. Ravi was presenting him with a side that he had not seen as of yet, and doing so continuously.

To put simply: it was baffling.

Heaving out a sigh, Hakyeon paused and was startled when a few seconds later, Taekwoon almost collided with him at the crossroads of two corridors. Glancing the spirit up and down in surprise, Hakyeon’s gaze landed curiously on the tiny white bandages wrapped around Taekwoon’s fingertips.

“Sorry,” Taekwoon’s airy voice spoke, pulling Hakyeon’s gaze back up to the spirit’s face.

“No, it’s fine,” Hakyeon reassured him. Before the quiet spirit could walk away, Hakyeon blurted out, “did you hurt your fingers?”

Taekwoon paused and looked down at his hands, brows tucking slightly together as he stared at them. Hakyeon wondered why the spirit was hesitating over such a simple question; perhaps it was due to his quiet nature.

“I did,” Taekwoon spoke eventually. “But I’m not sure how. I must not have been paying attention when it happened.”

Hakyeon furrowed his brow at that, but Taekwoon seemed to be done with the conversation, his expression mildly uncomfortable. There was something about this spirit that felt warm and comfortable to Hakyeon, despite his outward appearance and expression.

“Did you go to dinner?” Hakyeon found himself asking.

“No,” Taekwoon murmured. “I wasn’t hungry.”

Hakyeon nodded and found he was absently fiddling with the ruby at his neck yet again. It was very quickly becoming a habit.

“Would you mind some company if you’re just walking about the palace?” Hakyeon offered, feeling that walking with someone might be better than continuously walking alone. He just hoped that Taekwoon would feel the same.

Unfortunately, the spirit lowered his gaze and shook his head minutely, shuffling his feet a little. Hakyeon felt an embarrassed flush rush to his cheeks, but he kept his chin up and smiled a little so that Taekwoon wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

“I’m going back to my room,” Taekwoon mumbled, peeking very quickly at Hakyeon before ducking his gaze again.

“That’s fine,” Hakyeon reassured him, squeezing his fingers together behind his back. “I was only curious, but I’m not here to force you into any interactions.”

Taekwoon nodded sharply before turning and walking off towards the bedroom corridor, leaving Hakyeon behind. Chewing distractedly at his lower lip, Hakyeon couldn’t help but wonder after the tiny bandages on Taekwoon’s fingers. He had brushed it off like it was nothing, but the tiny petals of blood staining the white bandages left Hakyeon curious.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The past week has been kind of rough for me, but hope all you lovely people are doing well. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. <3

_Hakyeon wandered through the halls of the Underworld palace. Or at least, he thought he was until it became apparent that the corridors were completely unfamiliar to him. Despite this, it seemed that Hakyeon knew exactly where he was going, following some path through the halls as if he had walked it thousands of times before. There were no doors lining the maze-like halls, so there was nowhere for him to go except forward._

_After what felt like hours of wandering, Hakyeon spotted a set of double doors at the end of the hall. They were the first things that Hakyeon recognized in this odd place. The ebony colored doors were without a doubt the entrance to Lord Ravi's bedroom. Unbidden, Hakyeon's feet carried him forward to the doors. As he stood before them, Hakyeon raised his hand and knocked twice. The sharp noise echoed through the barren halls as the door swung slowly open._

_Stepping forward, Hakyeon pushed the door open the rest of the way, peering into the room he had never laid eyes on. However, the doors had somehow led him outside. Spread out before him, there was a large, dark maze of thorns and tangled vines. Something pulled at Hakyeon, urging him to wander through and find whatever it was that awaited him at the end of the maze._

_As he walked, the thorns became thicker, weaving themselves more tightly together, blocking the view through the gaps that had previously been there. Hakyeon unnervingly felt as if the thorns themselves were alive, the vines they grew on becoming thicker and thicker the further in Hakyeon went._

_Suddenly there was a sharp pain shooting through Hakyeon's right hand, something yanking him backwards a few steps with unyielding force. Turning quickly, Hakyeon found that some of the vines had shot out, wrapping firmly around Hakyeon's hand. The large thorns pierced his skin and held him in place as the pain made spots dance before Hakyeon's eyes. Through the fog in his mind, Hakyeon realized that the thorns were all but metallic, probably of a similar material of the spires that grew in the palace gardens. They were only fashioned to look like vines of thorns._

_There was a distant cry, one of agony and pain that had Hakyeon's head snapping up sharply. For a moment he wondered if the cry had somehow escaped his own lips without him realizing it. But then it sounded again, very close to Hakyeon but definitely not from himself._

_Whipping his head around in every direction, Hakyeon tried to find the source of the cry. The voice sounded again, distantly familiar to his ears, before the vines began to part on Hakyeon's left. He turned as much as he could while his hand was still encased in the thorns. Once there was enough space to see through the tangled mass of metallic plants, Hakyeon gave a sharp gasp of surprise._

_Ravi was on his knees, nearly his entire body shrouded in the thorns. They almost looked like chains, holding him down and piercing his skin, tearing through his pale complexion until the golden ichor flowing through Ravi's veins stained the black thorns. Ravi looked as if he were trying to hold back from crying out again, but Hakyeon watched as the vines tightened impossibly more around the Lord of Death's limbs. The action caused Ravi to toss his head back as an agonized scream tore its way out of his throat. The sound made Hakyeon wince and he tugged against the vines around his hand in an effort to get away. He couldn't keep watching this any longer and he wanted to run far, far away from this horrific scene._

_The vines would not let Hakyeon break free as they dug deeper and deeper into his flesh as his own ichor seeped through the wounds and colored the thorns. The pain was unbearable and Hakyeon couldn't bring himself to stop the cry that escaped his lips. It left him in harmony with another of Ravi's agonized screams, their chorus of pain ringing through the cavernous Underworld._

_"Let me go!" Hakyeon shouted, tears pricking at his eyes as he tugged violently at the thorns. "I said let me_ _go!"_

Hakyeon shot upright, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and tangled hopelessly in the dark sheets of his bed. His chest heaved with every breath, the terror of his dream still fresh in his mind even as he tried to desperately shake away the imagery of it. This was the third time he had had this nightmare, but this was the most vivid it had ever been. Regardless, it was not something he wanted to dwell on, despite the ominous feeling it gave him that he knew he probably shouldn't be ignoring.

"It’s nothing, it’s just a dream," Hakyeon murmured, trying to convince himself that he could continue to stay removed from the affairs of the Underworld. Even as he had the thought, part of Hakyeon knew that it was a bit too late for that. It had been a little over three weeks since the four new spirits had arrived at the palace, and he had done a spectacular job at failing to not become involved with them.

Hakyeon had grown close with Hongbin since their talk all those nights ago in the study. They would walk around the palace, speaking plainly with one another and often avoiding the servants. It was easy to talk to the younger spirit for some reason, and Hakyeon had to admit he enjoyed the company. Jaehwan was often times harder to approach, but Hakyeon had managed to hold a few conversations with him. As for Sanghyuk and Taekwoon, Hakyeon hardly saw them save for brief glimpses in the halls. And since the passage of time in the Underworld was so distorted, Hakyeon had to consistently remind himself that they had hardly had any time together so it was only natural. But these thoughts again left him wondering why he cared so much when he knew he wasn't staying.

Disentangling himself from the sheets of his bed, Hakyeon decided that what he really needed was a long bath to clear his head and pretend that the dream had never happened. Wiping at the sweat covering his face, Hakyeon looked cautiously down at his right hand, curling and uncurling his digits as he tried to shake lose the nightmare. There was a hint of phantom pain as Hakyeon moved his hand, but there appeared to be nothing wrong with it. Letting out a quiet huff, Hakyeon wandered to his washroom and tried to find something else to think about.

As much as he tried though, the entire duration of Hakyeon's bath was spent with his mind tossing itself between thoughts about his nightmare. From the immense pain that Ravi had been in, to Hakyeon's own pain, to the thorns ensnaring both of them and holding them down. There had to be a reason that Hakyeon had had that dream, but he refused to try and think about it. He was afraid of what it could mean or even be foreshadowing, so he tried to repress the imagery as much as possible.

By the time Hakyeon dragged himself from the bath and pulled on a fresh pair of clothes, he felt more exhausted than before he had fallen asleep. Rubbing tiredly at his eyes, Hakyeon walked out of his room only to slam into something just outside his doorway. The sudden force made him stumble back a few paces, bumping his shoulder against the door that had yet to close behind him. Looking up, suddenly annoyed and prepared to snap, Hakyeon found he was face to face with a surprised looking Hongbin.

"H-Hakyeon!" Hongbin stuttered out, looking a little frightened. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were coming out of your room just then. Are you okay?"

With a quick sigh, Hakyeon straightened up and adjusted his shirt. Waving away Hongbin's worries, Hakyeon reassured the spirit that he was perfectly fine. It would take more than a little bump to knock Hakyeon down. Once Hongbin had been reassured, the two fell into step with each other and started to wander through the palace halls like they normally did. There were a few words exchanged between them, but mostly they just wandered in comfortable silence.

Upon some unspoken decision, they ended up in the study, perusing through the multitude of shelves to each find a book they could enjoy for a few hours. Hakyeon had just picked up a rather large leather bound book from one of the shelves when Hongbin's voice sounded across the study, breaking their silence.

"Hakyeon?"

"Yes, Hongbin?" Hakyeon flipped through a couple pages, trying to decide if the content was worth his attention. He had yet to actually find a book in this study that truly captured his attention.

"What do you think happened to Sanghyuk?"

Hakyeon paused in the middle of flipping a page, caught off guard by the question. He glanced around at Hongbin, who was standing on the other side of the room, staring down at the book he held in his hands like it would give him the answers he was looking for.

"What do you mean?" Hakyeon eventually managed to ask.

"I mean..." Hongbin still didn't look up from the book, but started to fidget with it, turning it this way and that in his hands like a nervous habit. "He hasn't said a word since getting here, besides his name. There's just something about him that seems so heavy and sad. Plus..." Hongbin hesitated, like he wasn't sure he should be sharing this information. "I heard him screaming last night, presumably from a nightmare."

Hakyeon thought of his own nightmare and shuddered a little. It was curious that Sanghyuk had had a nightmare as well, but Hakyeon wasn't entirely sure what Hongbin wanted him to do with this information. But before he could ask as much, Hongbin finally raised his eyes to meet Hakyeon's before speaking.

"Should we...should we talk to him? I know that talking to you has really helped with my adjustment here. Do you think he would open up if we tried?"

Placing his book back on the shelf he had grabbed it from, Hakyeon decided that his attention would not be focused on the book enough to make it worth his while. Instead, his feet carried Hakyeon over to stand in front of Hongbin. A small smile tugged at the corners of Hakyeon's mouth as he dropped a hand onto Hongbin's shoulder.

"Honestly, I don't know what Sanghyuk needs. Maybe we could try talking to him, but if he doesn't wish to tell us what it is that burdens him, there isn't anything we can do. You understand that, right? Lord Ravi brought you all here for sanctuary, and we can't make Sanghyuk feel uncomfortable by forcing him to tell us what it was that troubled him so much in life that it gives his spirit nightmares."

Hongbin nodded, seemingly satisfied with the promise that they were going to try and at least talk to Sanghyuk. "I understand."

Hakyeon dropped his hand and nodded in return. "Is there any reason why you want to help Sanghyuk? When you all arrived, I didn't exactly get the impression that any of you really cared about the other all that much."

There was a beat of silence in which Hongbin ducked his head a little, a bit of pink coloring his cheeks before he could hide it from Hakyeon's curious gaze. As Hakyeon's grin spread wider across his face, Hongbin mumbled something under his breath about just being a decent person and wanting to make sure Sanghyuk was okay. It was taking a lot of effort on Hakyeon's part to not laugh at Hongbin's suddenly flustered demeanor.

"You think he's cute, don't you?"

"He's really cute," Hongbin mumbled, the pink spreading visibly to his ears. "But he seems so sad and lonely, and I really don't want him to look that way anymore. If we're here to find peace, than we should help him. It doesn't seem right to just let him continue suffering."

"Hongbin," Hakyeon said softly, reaching out to place both hands on the younger spirit's shoulders. "I promise, we won't let him suffer alone. But don't be too insistent. Like you said, he's in pain but we don't know why. We have to be patient with him." After a brief pause in which Hongbin deflated a little, Hakyeon took a deep breath before letting it out and smiling a little. "Why don't we go find him now? Maybe if he's just had a nightmare, he'll be a little more willing to accept our company."

* * *

Hakyeon knocked softly on the door that bore the name Han Sanghyuk, listening quietly for a moment to see if there would be a response. He wasn't even sure if the young spirit was inside. Knocking once more after a few beats of silence, Hakyeon tried not to let out an exasperated sigh for Hongbin's sake. The spirit was fidgeting nervously behind Hakyeon, obviously consumed by anticipation. It was rather adorable to watch if Hakyeon had to be honest. He found it heartwarming that a spirit who had been so wrongly abused and killed in life could still be energetic and warm-hearted. There were times when Hongbin couldn't be this energetic, when memories plagued him and reverted him back to a trembling mess, but it was expected and Hakyeon usually was there to keep him company.

Now, Hakyeon supposed, Hongbin wanted to do the same for Sanghyuk.

Just about to knock for the third time, Hakyeon heard the door on the other side of the hall open quietly. Turning in unison with Hongbin, they found Taekwoon slipping out of his room, looking mildly surprised to see the two of them standing there. Hakyeon met Taekwoon's eye and felt that odd rush of electricity that he had experienced in the throne room.

"He's usually in the garden's on the east side of the palace," Taekwoon said in a soft, slightly raspy voice. He almost sounded like he had just woken up. Hakyeon blinked once and then lowered his hand from where it had been poised to knock.

"Oh, thank you."

Taekwoon nodded and then briskly walked down the hallway in the opposite direction he had pointed them and disappeared around a corner. Briefly, Hakyeon wondered where he was going, where he spent his days in the palace presumably by himself. But he didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts as Hongbin started tugging at his arm, pulling him down the hall towards the east gardens.

By the time they got to the east gardens, Hakyeon was slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with Hongbin's pace. The younger spirit on the other hand, was bouncing slightly on his toes and scanning the gardens fervently, trying to catch sight of Sanghyuk over the tops of the plants and mineral spires. Hakyeon had never really understood how any sort of plant actually grew down here, but most of them bore some kind of fruit or obsidian colored flowers, so he didn't pursue the subject. All he knew from the bouquet Ravi had gotten him a couple weeks ago was that plants from the living world lasted a few days before they crumbled to dust.

"There!" Hongbin said abruptly, pointing to Hakyeon's left as he grabbed at Hakyeon's arm. "He's over there, by the pomegranate trees."

Hakyeon felt his muscles go taught with the memory of standing under those trees, dazed and hungry and unaware of his actions until it was too late to undo them. Suppressing a shudder, Hakyeon trailed after Hongbin, who had already started making his way over to Sanghyuk. Hakyeon managed to reach out and grab Hongbin's arm, gesturing for him to not go rushing up to Sanghyuk, in case they startled the young spirit.

By the time they walked up to Sanghyuk, the young boy was sitting with his back pressed into the slender trunk of one of the pomegranate trees. His head was tilted back, resting against the bark with his eyes closed. Hongbin shifted from foot to foot nervously as Hakyeon shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the two of them from a couple paces back. Hongbin eventually cleared his throat to try and get Sanghyuk's attention. At the sound, Sanghyuk opened his eyes and lifted his head up, looking at the two of them with an empty stare.

After a long, awkward moment, Hongbin ended up just sitting down in front of Sanghyuk, looking back at him. Hakyeon wondered briefly if Hongbin had even thought about how he was going to approach Sanghyuk, or if he was just winging it. With a quiet sigh, Hakyeon leaned back against a tree. It wasn't a pomegranate tree, which Hakyeon took careful mind of, but he reminded himself that his taste in trees should not be the focus of his thoughts at the moment.

Hakyeon was just about to speak up to try and start the conversation from the awkward silence when Hongbin just dove right in.

"I heard you having a nightmare last night," he said quietly. Sanghyuk visibly tensed, his eyes narrowing slightly as his brow furrowed. It was the most emotion Hakyeon had seen the young spirit display. And while Hongbin's opening was cringe worthy, Hakyeon had to admit that it was definitely an attention grabber.

"I don't mean to sound rude and I'm not here to make fun of you," Hongbin continued reassuringly. "I just...well I've had Hakyeon to talk to about everything that's been burdening me. It's really helped. And when I heard you last night, I started to wonder if maybe you needed someone to talk to at all? To help you get used to this place and maybe just get things off your chest?"

Sanghyuk continued to stare back at Hongbin, who had begun picking nervously at his nails as he spoke. Hakyeon had realized early on that when Hongbin got nervous or unsure, he started picking and tugging at things near his hands. Glancing down at Hongbin's picking hands, Sanghyuk watched the action for a moment before looking away, staring off deeper into the gardens without response.

The silence between the three of them stretched on for an almost uncomfortable amount of time. Hakyeon got tired of standing and slid down to sit with his back against the tree. Hongbin's picking slowed down until he was just staring down at his hands quietly. Eventually Sanghyuk looked back at Hongbin and let out a quiet breath, almost like a sigh. Hongbin's head shot up so he could look at Sanghyuk, obviously eager to see if he was ready to talk.

"Thank you," was all the young spirit said, looking sincere as he nodded to the both of them. Sanghyuk pushed himself to his feet and brushed off his pants and stretched a bit. Hongbin looked back at Hakyeon with confusion written all over his face. He scrambled to his feet, looking at Sanghyuk with the same confusion he had looked at Hakyeon with.

"What do you mean?" Hongbin asked. Hakyeon pushed off the trunk and used it to pull himself to standing. He dusted off his pants as well, watching the two younger spirits before him. He didn't really understand what Sanghyuk had meant when he thanked them, so he was just as curious as Hongbin, even though he wasn't as obvious about it. However, Sanghyuk looked down at his feet, remaining quiet once again and leaving Hakyeon wondering if he was going to answer them.

"Thank you," Sanghyuk said again, his voice low and quiet. "I know...I didn't say anything. But you sat with me, and I wasn't lonely." Sanghyuk looked up at the two of them, a grateful expression pulling at his features. "So thank you."

Hongbin blinked in surprise, glancing back at Hakyeon to see if he was just as confused. Hakyeon shrugged and just nodded to Sanghyuk. There really wasn't much they could say to that.

"Sanghyuk," Hongbin said, taking a tentative step towards the younger spirit. "You know that we're here to talk to you too, right? If you ever need to, that is. I don't want to make you do anything, but it could help you the way it's helped me to talk to Hakyeon. Plus, maybe it would help with your nightmares and it could make the days feel a little less weird here. Like I don't even know if I'm going to sleep at the right time because there's really no way to tell down here and-"

"Hongbin," Hakyeon said, trying to hide his amusement. The young spirit was rambling; obviously nervous in front of Sanghyuk because of how cute he thought Sanghyuk was. "Take a breath."

Hongbin flushed a deep pink, ducking his head and scratching at his neck in embarrassment. He muttered an apology to Sanghyuk under his breath and shifted his feet around.

"Hyuk," Sanghyuk said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched the embarrassed Hongbin in front of him. At Hongbin's confused stare, Sanghyuk continued. "You can call me Hyuk. Sanghyuk just feels too formal."

Hongbin beamed after a moment, nodding eagerly as his embarrassment was abruptly forgotten. He seemed excited that Hyuk was talking to them and even giving them the option of using a nickname. Hakyeon could practically see the sunshine radiating off of Hongbin's smile. It was refreshing to see and Hakyeon felt a considerable amount of tension leave his shoulders as he watched Hongbin carry an almost one-sided conversation with Hyuk. The two of them settled back down on the ground after a couple moments, clearly content to continue talking - or at least Hyuk listening to Hongbin do most of the talking - for a while longer. Hakyeon excused himself after a while, leaving to wander through the palace.

As Hakyeon meandered through the halls, his mind wandered as well, eventually bringing the imagery of his nightmare back to the forefront of his mind. The phantom pain of the thorns wrapping themselves around his hand made a sudden reappearance. Looking down at his right hand, Hakyeon curled it into a fist, letting out an annoyed huff. It bothered him that Ravi had also been there, held down by such a multitude of thorns that it left Hakyeon wondering what it could have meant. But if he was honest with himself, it simply annoyed Hakyeon that he had dreamed of Ravi in the first place. It seemed wrong.

Shaking his head a little, Hakyeon was startled when something grabbed onto his right hand, pulling him to an abrupt halt. Whirling around in terror, Hakyeon forced himself to repress a shout. He half expected to find the metallic thorns curling around his hands yet again. Instead, there was a pale hand wrapped around his own, holding him in place with a surprisingly warm and gentle insistence. Looking up quickly, Hakyeon blinked in surprise when he found himself face to face with Taekwoon.

"What-" Hakyeon started to question.

"The wall," Taekwoon said simply, nodding to something behind Hakyeon. Turning around, Hakyeon found that if Taekwoon hadn't grabbed his hand and pulled him back, his mindless wandering would have led him to smash into the wall at the end of the hallway. Turning back to Taekwoon, Hakyeon gave a curt nod of thanks.

"You were wandering," Taekwoon stated. "In more ways than one, I presume."

"It happens," Hakyeon confessed easily.

"You should watch where you're going," Taekwoon returned. "There's not much dignity in a prince smashing into a wall because his mind wanders."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hakyeon said drily.

Taekwoon nodded and released Hakyeon's hand - which Hakyeon had entirely forgotten he was still holding onto - with a brusque nod. "Then I'll let you get back to your wandering."

Hakyeon watched Taekwoon turn and leave. Part of him wanted to call out to the quiet spirit, bring him back and talk to him the way Hongbin was so easily able to do with Hyuk. But another part of him convinced his voice to remain silent and his tongue to lay still. Despite how involved with the spirits he now was, part of Hakyeon believed that he could still remain detached from them. It wouldn't do to live on Olympus for three-fourths of the year with thoughts ladened with memories of spirits he would scarcely see.

Looking down at the hand that Taekwoon had held, Hakyeon wondered if he could really keep to that ideal. Something told him that there was no way he was leaving the Underworld without troublesome thoughts of the spirits he would leave behind.

* * *

Hakyeon sat in his room; a small mirror perched atop the desk in front of him, giving him the ability to watch as he carefully lined his eyes with kohl. His face was already coated with fine powder, his eyelids dusted with gold and lips a faint cherry near the crease where they met. He really did not have any reason to be doing his make-up today, but he had woken up in the mood to just remind himself of something he enjoyed doing.

When he was still on Olympus, most days Hakyeon would do his make-up and spend hours on end with the muses and the dryads singing and dancing. Everything was lively and colorful and thinking about it gave Hakyeon something to look forward to upon his return to Olympus.

Finishing with the kohl, Hakyeon took a moment to stare at his reflection with a satisfied little smile pulling at his cherry lips. There was always an elegance that Hakyeon felt about himself whenever he was wearing make-up. With a brief nod to his reflection, Hakyeon pushed his chair back and walked over to the chest at the end of his bed. Setting aside the basket atop the chest, Hakyeon pulled out the garment he had been keeping hidden away since his arrival.

Shedding his dark tunic, Hakyeon could feel the tension bleeding from his shoulders as he slipped the familiar pink garments over his head and secured them in place.

Turning towards the full-length mirror that was resting against the wall near his bath, Hakyeon beamed at his reflection and turned in a half circle to admire himself. There was a slight shimmer to his movements, courtesy of the thin threads of gold woven between the pink.

As he twisted around to face the mirror fully again, Hakyeon caught a glimpse of the ruby around his neck glowing faintly beneath his tunic. Blinking in surprise, Hakyeon moved to pull the stone free, looking at the soft, pulsating light in his reflection and swearing that it seemed brighter than when Ravi had gifted it to him. Curiously, Hakyeon stepped closer to the mirror and watched it for a moment.

The red looked good against the pink and the gold, softening naturally against the calmer colors. There was an odd, faint sense of security that Hakyeon took from the gem, it’s presence letting him feel safe. Sighing happily, Hakyeon gave a full spin and walked over to his discarded black tunic. He picked it up and shook it out, moving to hang it over the back of his chair at his desk.

As he was smoothing out the soft fabric over the back of the chair, a quiet knock sounded at Hakyeon’s door, making him freeze. He wasn’t sure how any of the other spirits or servants would react to his appearance, but it wasn’t like he had any time to change and wipe off the make-up. He really had nothing to be ashamed of, but this was not exactly a common appearance found in the Underworld.

Making up his mind, Hakyeon steeled himself and went to answer the door.

“Lord Ravi?” Hakyeon said, surprise evident in his tone as he took in the figure before him. This was the last person he had expected to find at his door, and it was probably the worst-case scenario. Ravi might misunderstand.

But the king’s cheeks were almost as pink as Hakyeon’s tunic as he stared at the prince in awe.

“W-What is the occasion for this?” Ravi managed to get out, his voice sounding weak. His eyes roamed quickly up and down Hakyeon’s body, trying to take in his colorful, made up appearance.

“Just…” Hakyeon faltered, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I wanted to.”

“Well, then,” Ravi stuttered, clearing his throat awkwardly and shifting from foot to foot, his hand tucking behind his back. “Since you’re all dressed up, would you mind accompanying me to dinner?”

Hakyeon pondered the request for a moment, feeling slightly amused at watching Ravi very nearly squirm uncomfortably as he anticipated the prince’s answer. He waited for a few moments before eventually taking pity on the king. His features softening as he smiled faintly, Hakyeon chuckled behind his hand and gave Ravi a small nod.

“I would love to, My Lord,” Hakyeon said.

Ravi’s entire demeanor changed on a dime, his expression brightening as he straightened up and took a step to the side. Extending a gloved hand towards the hall, he gestured for Hakyeon to step out of his bedroom and into the hallway so they could go to their meal. Hakyeon closed his door behind him, following along as Ravi led them away from the bedrooms.

Hakyeon felt light and happy as they made their way through the corridors. He found that he didn’t even mind that his company was someone that he had despised entirely nearly a month ago. Things had changed, and Hakyeon had wanted to resist but he found himself changing with everything instead. It was unsettling, but Hakyeon found that he had encountered other things in his lifespan that were worse than befriending the King of the Dead.

They were at the dining room, and Ravi was pulling out Hakyeon’s chair for him, giving him a fond smile as he did. Hakyeon took his seat gratefully, feeling flushed and happy at the simplicity of the atmosphere. It was strange, and he found that he didn’t hate it.

The servants brought out the meal, the food simple and only set for the two of them. Ravi and Hakyeon ate slowly, making conversation between bites about things that held hardly any weight. It was simple and sweet and kept the light feeling in Hakyeon’s chest afloat. Ravi’s smile was easy from across the table, the ever-present pink dusting on his cheeks whenever he spoke with Hakyeon quickly becoming endearing to the prince.

It was only after they were finished their meals, both leaning comfortably back in their chairs, that Ravi turned their conversation towards more relevant matters.

“You were with Jaehwan the other day,” Ravi began casually. “What were the two of you talking about?”

“Nothing important,” Hakyeon shrugged easily, his fingers tracing absently around the edge of the plate in front of him. “He just looked like he needed some company that day, so I sat with him and we made small talk.”

Ravi frowned very minuscule as he leaned forward a little in his seat.

“You haven’t spoken with any of the other spirits about their pasts yet?” He questioned, sounding mildly surprised.

“What do you want me to do, My Lord?” Hakyeon sighed wearily, squirming a little in his seat. “I’m not going to force their pasts out of them. Besides, you already know everything about them. Why do I have to get to know them so deeply? They’re your subjects, so perhaps you should be making more of an effort to get to know them.”

The second the words had left Hakyeon’s mouth, he winced at his own flippancy. Ravi narrowed his eyes across the table at Hakyeon, looking very much like he wanted to bite back at the prince’s words. But instead he sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat.

“This is not something I have forced upon you as an order,” Ravi reminded Hakyeon. “But I think that all of you would benefit from talking to one another about the things that have burdened you. You may find that some of you have more in common than you think.”

“Why do you avoid them, then?” Hakyeon shot back. “You know everything about them, as I said before. So why are you unable to sympathize with them as well?”

“They don’t trust me,” Ravi said plainly. “And more than that, they don’t like me. Not many people do.”

Hakyeon stuttered for a moment at the king’s statement, eyes widening a little as pinpricks of guilt shot through him. He knew that none of the spirits were particularly fond of Ravi, including himself, but he hadn’t been aware of the fact that Ravi knew it as well.

If Hakyeon was honest with himself, he had kind of been hoping that everyone here would be able to exist in oblivious harmony. But clearly that was a ship that had already sailed.

“My Lord…” Hakyeon stammered. “I’m sure the spirits just need more time to warm up to the palace and to you. They’ve been here barely a month.”

Ravi held up a hand before Hakyeon could continue, looking stoic as he leveled his gaze with the prince. Hakyeon bit his lip and sighed quietly through his nose.

“You do not need to explain,” Ravi reassured him. “I would not have survived this many millennia if I was unable to tolerate being disliked by others.”

There was a faint, humorless tone to Ravi’s voice; one that carried across the table and stabbed Hakyeon in the gut with even more guilt than before. Sure, he was not entirely fond of his host, but he never wanted anyone to think the way Ravi was thinking now. He sounded so lonely and so bitter towards himself that it hurt Hakyeon. He didn’t know why it did, but he was feeling it regardless.

“I like you, Lord Ravi,” Hakyeon said, his voice soft even as it carried to the king’s ears. He stiffened the second the words left his mouth, eyes darting up to look at the king. Ravi’s cheeks were bright pink, and his eyes locked onto Hakyeon’s when the prince looked up at him.

Panicking, Hakyeon stood up clumsily and cleared his throat awkwardly. Ravi’s eyes followed him the whole time, tracing his movements diligently as Hakyeon gave a quick bow and stumbled over his own feet.

“S-Sorry, my Lord,” Hakyeon mumbled. “I’m going to…to just go-go back to my room.” Hakyeon gave another rushed, clumsy bow to the stunned king and shuffled out, his fingers twisting in the pink fabric of his tunic. He rushed back towards his room, cheeks warm with the flush he knew was perched there.

Shaking his head, Hakyeon huffed at himself, wondering just what kind of mess he had gotten himself into.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be completely honest......I'm not entirely sure what this chapter is. But I hope you all enjoy it!

Two days after Sanghyuk had finally started talking to Hongbin and Hakyeon, there was a relatively quiet day at the palace. Nothing entirely exciting was happening, and Hakyeon very much preferred that. Jaehwan had spent the day with Hakyeon in the palace study the day before, neither of them saying much of anything to each other but just enjoying the company. Today, the spirit was spending his time alone. Hongbin and Sanghyuk had been wandering around together earlier, and Hakyeon had let them be. Ravi had yet to be seen today, so Hakyeon presumed that he was busy as usual.

The King of the Underworld had been distant before since the spirits’ arrival, but he had become even more so after the incident at dinner. Hakyeon still did not know how to handle or understand that occurrence, so he tried very hard to just ignore the memories and move on.

Occupied with his thoughts, Hakyeon’s legs carried him around the palace on a sort of autopilot. He didn’t know how long he had been wandering for when Hakyeon finally snapped out of his daze, but when he did he found himself near the rear garden of the palace. It was fairly quiet, the Fields of Punishment not too loud today – or maybe Hakyeon was just used to it at this point. The last time he had been back here was the day the spirits arrived.

Letting his gaze wander, Hakyeon’s eyes sought out the wooden door that guarded the entrance to Ravi’s personal study. It stood vigilantly at the end of the corridor, exactly as Hakyeon remembered it. But as he started to move towards the door, his eyes narrowed when it became obvious that things were not exactly the same.

The door sat ajar, not significantly, but still open. Hakyeon knew that Ravi was around the palace working on something or another. But there was no way he was in his study.

Hakyeon was about to push the door open; knowing that whoever was in here would be in trouble if Ravi ever discovered that they had come in here. Besides that, Hakyeon didn’t want just anyone seeing that tapestry Ravi had hanging on the wall. It wasn’t just personal, it was embarrassing, if he was honest with himself; the vibrant display of his tragedy.

Though the moment Hakyeon’s hand touched the surface of the wooden door, there was a soft, melodious sound from inside the personal study, making him freeze in place. The melody was like nothing Hakyeon had ever heard before – soft and sweet yet enthralling and haunting all at once. Leaning against the doorframe to listen, Hakyeon realized after a moment that he was holding his breath as he listened. Reminding himself to breathe out, Hakyeon listened a little more carefully and realized that it was the striking chords of a piano he was hearing.

Curiosity at last overwhelming Hakyeon, he carefully pushed open the study door, peering through the gap to try and spot the source of the ethereal music. He had been correct in assuming that the source of the sound was a piano, but when he saw who sat at the bench, fingers easily flowing across the old, worn keys, Hakyeon was taken aback.

“Taekwoon?” the name slipped unbidden from Hakyeon’s lips before he could stop himself, the surprise at seeing the reclusive spirit conducting such a beautiful melody too much to process at once. Hakyeon felt guilty though, as he watched Taekwoon’s head snap up from the slightly bowed position he had been in while playing, looking frightened. Hakyeon assumed that he was waiting to be reprimanded, so he proceeded with caution. After all, he had really only interacted with Taekwoon a handful of times since his arrival.

“Sorry,” Hakyeon said softly, slipping the rest of the way into the study and quietly closing the door. Taekwoon’s eyes never left Hakyeon, tracing every movement the immortal made with careful diligence. Just like every other time Hakyeon made eye contact with Taekwoon, that odd, pulsing electricity thrummed underneath his skin. It made Hakyeon itch, but it still felt good; almost like he was receiving a shock of pure energy – of life and light like the world Hakyeon had left above.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Hakyeon eventually continued, trying to keep his voice steadier than his thoughts. “I heard you playing, but I didn’t know who it was before I looked in here. It sounded beautiful.”

Taekwoon continued to stare at Hakyeon, until the compliment, at which point his cheeks flushed pink and he ducked his head and turned sharply back to the piano keys. Hakyeon covered a smile with his hand at Taekwoon’s display of embarrassment. It was rather adorable, and Hakyeon found himself walking over to the instrument and its embarrassed musician before he realized what he was doing. Taekwoon had left enough space on one side of the bench for Hakyeon to comfortably slide in beside him. Even so, Taekwoon scooted a little further away from Hakyeon, just to make sure their elbows didn’t brush.

“Could you keep playing?” Hakyeon asked softly, gesturing to the well-loved keys. He had no idea where Ravi had gotten this piano – or if Ravi even played piano – but the thing looked just shy of ancient. It was made of wood, battered and chipped and splintering in places. If it had been painted once, there were no remnants of any sort of paint job. The keys themselves had a sort of off white hue to them, as if they had been passed over many a time by talented, dexterous fingers that coaxed melody after melody from the taught chords hidden within. Yet somehow, despite the beaten appearance, it could still produce a phrase as striking as the one Taekwoon had been playing moments before.

Looking nervous, said spirit silently lifted his hands back to the keys and settled them airily overtop them. He took in a quiet breath, shoulders rising and chest expanding, before he began to play a slow, hypnotic piece. Hakyeon found himself ensnared with the view of Taekwoon’s slender fingers flowing across the keys, like watching a stream tumble gracefully over rocks. Every note seemed to melt into the one after it, the distinction between each struck key only visible and not heard.

The song sounded distantly familiar to Hakyeon, but he couldn’t seem to place a name to the soothing tune. At some point, Hakyeon couldn’t remember exactly when, his eyes wandered away from Taekwoon’s hands and up to the spirit’s face. The flush in his pale cheeks had disappeared with the obvious concentration that now painted his expression. Taekwoon’s lips were slightly parted as he played, almost as if he were about to sing along with the sharp, clear notes. His eyes flit across the keys, dancing in time with the movements of his fingers. Hakyeon’s eyes traced the soft wave of Taekwoon’s bangs, the man’s hair slightly grown out in the front and looking thick with volume. It was almost a struggle for Hakyeon to resist reaching up to run his fingers through it. Everything about Taekwoon captured Hakyeon’s attention for some reason – the line of his nose, the curve of his pout, the wave of his bangs, the sharp line of his jaw – everything.

Hakyeon was just beginning to wonder what Taekwoon’s supple looking skin would feel like under his fingers when he realized that the song was over and he was staring. Taekwoon was looking right back at Hakyeon, the pink flush returned to his cheeks. Unprepared, Hakyeon had no excuse as to why he was staring at Taekwoon so intently, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

“Can you sing?”

_Nice._

Taekwoon blinked at Hakyeon a couple times before nodding slowly, looking even more embarrassed at his confirmation. Hakyeon had somehow found enough dignity to scrape together to actually think before saying anything more.

“Your playing was wonderful, you should sing along with it sometime. I bet the others would love to hear you. It’s far too quiet down here anyway so the music would be welcome.”

Looking entirely flustered, Taekwoon shook his head and covered his face with his hands, turning slightly away from Hakyeon as he clearly tried to recover from the praise.

“I couldn’t,” Taekwoon’s voice came muffled from behind his hands, making Hakyeon lean in a little closer to hear him properly.

“Why not? You’re incredible!” Hakyeon felt his cheeks flush and rushed to correct himself. “Incredible at playing piano, I mean.”

“Too embarrassed,” Taekwoon mumbled again, shaking his head a little more and turning entirely away from Hakyeon’s gaze. “I don’t like being stared at.”

Nodding with understanding, Hakyeon turned himself around to stand up off the bench, stretching his arms over his head once he was on his feet. “That’s okay, then,” he grunted out around the luxurious pull at his muscles. “Not everyone is okay with performing in front of people. But,” Hakyeon dropped his arms and looked down at Taekwoon, finding the spirit looking up at him without his hands in his face. “I really appreciate being able to listen to you play. It was nice to hear something other than silence.”

Taekwoon stared back at Hakyeon for a moment; everything feeling suspended as neither of them moved or spoke. Hakyeon felt like he was holding his breath, and Taekwoon looked like he was doing the same. There was something charging through the air between them, an unknown source drawing them together and entrancing the two of them. And then Taekwoon nodded, casting his eyes to the side, and the spell was broken.

Hakyeon wanted to say something to fill the now awkward silence, but surprisingly Taekwoon beat him to it. His eyes were narrowed, brow furrowed in something akin to confusion. Silently, Taekwoon lifted a slender arm and pointed past Hakyeon to something as he wondered aloud, “Is that you?”

Turning quickly to look at what Taekwoon was indicating, the breath caught painfully in Hakyeon’s throat as he suddenly found himself staring at the tapestry of his tragedy. He had been so moved by Taekwoon’s playing that Hakyeon had completely forgotten the whole reason he first came in here was to make sure no one saw this very object.

Catching his lower lip between his teeth, trying hard not to let the embarrassment and shame overwhelm him, Hakyeon turned away from the taunting embroidery and hung his head. It wasn’t an answer, but Hakyeon suspected that Taekwoon was smart enough to glean the correct response from his body language anyway.

Hakyeon suddenly did not want to be here – not in the small study, not anywhere near Taekwoon, and certainly not anywhere near that damned tapestry. Why Ravi still had it was beyond Hakyeon, but there was nothing he could do about it without reprimand. This was Ravi’s personal study, and that harsh reminder was what had Hakyeon grabbing Taekwoon roughly by the wrist and dragging him up from the piano bench and toward the door. If Hakyeon hadn’t had the fact that Taekwoon wasn’t expecting this, he doubted that he would have been able to drag Taekwoon around so easily.

“What-?” Taekwoon started to ask, sounding startled but not upset.

“We aren’t supposed to be in here anyway,” Hakyeon said bluntly, the threat of shameful tears pricking just behind his eyes. He could feel the lump forming and burning in his throat as Hakyeon struggled to keep his voice steady. “This is Lord Ravi’s personal study, and that disgusting tapestry isn’t meant for others to see. So forget you saw it.”

“That’s going to be hard,” Taekwoon said, his voice still soft – always soft – and not sounding mean; but Hakyeon rounded on the spirit anyway, a few steps from the door.

“What did you just say?” Hakyeon all but hissed. “I told you to forget-”

“It’s pretty. I don’t want to forget it,” Taekwoon stated simply, staring back at Hakyeon like he wasn’t tormenting the embarrassed immortal and rubbing salt in the wound. Hakyeon wondered if Taekwoon even understood the story woven into the threads.

“I said I wouldn’t forget it,” Taekwoon sighed, and Hakyeon decided in that moment that the spirit was very well aware of why Hakyeon was reacting the way he was towards that tapestry. “But I never said I would tell anyone about it.”

Blinking owl-like at Taekwoon, Hakyeon felt the spirit’s wrist slip out of his hand as he continued to stare. That was…not what Hakyeon had been expecting. He had been expecting taunts and teasing about how blatantly displayed his failure was. They continued to stand there, Hakyeon staring dumbfounded at Taekwoon’s simple sincerity, and Taekwoon looking everywhere except Hakyeon’s gaze, cheeks pink. Eventually though, Taekwoon mumbled something that Hakyeon didn’t catch.

“Sorry, what?” Hakyeon breathed, shaking his head a little to try and get himself back together.

“You said this was King Ravi’s study? Shouldn’t we head out before we’re caught?”

“O-Oh, right,” Hakyeon turned back to the door and grabbed the handle before yanking the door open. He didn’t expect to see anyone in the corridor, considering this was one of the most obscure places in the whole palace, but Hakyeon checked anyway for paranoia’s sake. As anticipated, there was no one to be seen, and he gestured for Taekwoon to follow him out.

The crept quietly down the open corridor, only allowing themselves to walk at a normal pace once they had wound their way through a few corridors deeper into the palace. Hakyeon felt the tension ease its way out of his shoulders as he released a relieved sigh. Taekwoon seemed as quiet and stoic as ever at Hakyeon’s shoulder, easily matching Hakyeon’s pace as they continued to walk through the palace.

At some point while they were walking, Hakyeon allowed himself to get lost in thought, staring into the middle space down the lengthy corridor they were wandering down. He found himself thinking back to the soothing melody that Taekwoon had played, a soft, fond smile finding its way onto his lips as Hakyeon quietly relived the memory.

He was abruptly pulled from the memory, however, when his hand brushed against something that sent a rush of shocking warmth through his limbs and straight to Hakyeon’s core. Looking down hastily, Hakyeon almost smacked his forehead against Taekwoon’s, the spirit apparently reacting similarly to the sensation. Their hands were about an inch apart, having brushed against one another in their walk, the cause of the shocking stir.

Feeling suspended, Hakyeon and Taekwoon locked gazes and froze; the moment stretching out over the span of neither knew how long or short. But eventually Taekwoon broke the connection, ducking his head and yanking the offending hand up to rub sheepishly at the back of his neck. There was a quick, softly muttered “sorry” before the spirit was briskly retreating from a still stunned Hakyeon.

He had thought this before, back when Taekwoon had first made eye contact with Hakyeon all those weeks ago in the throne room; but no being – mortal or immortal – had ever made Hakyeon feel as warm as Taekwoon did. Turning to watch Taekwoon’s retreating form, Hakyeon felt his lips stretch into a smile, a genuine smile, at the thought of growing closer to the shy spirit.

* * *

One week after Taekwoon had discovered the tapestry hanging in Ravi’s personal study, Hakyeon found himself spending a particularly quiet day in solitude. His mind felt rather a peace, something that Hakyeon found slightly disconcerting considering his surroundings, but he had accepted it nonetheless.

Letting out a soft sigh, Hakyeon tipped his head back and stared up into the endless shadows of the cavernous overhang. Wistfully, Hakyeon thought back to the bouquet of flowers Ravi had brought him nearly three weeks ago. The flowers had wilted and perished after about a week and a half of being down in the Underworld. Hakyeon had cared for them tenderly and inhaled their aromatic scents everyday. But now, staring at the shadows above, he ached for their cheerful presence, reminding him of the sunlight and flora of the above world.

“Here again?”

Lowering his head and twisting around to look at the owner of the soft voice, Hakyeon found himself not nearly as surprised as he thought he might be at finding Ravi standing a couple feet away. The Lord of Death appeared to be observing Hakyeon’s relaxed, undignified posture. The god’s eyes were soft around the edges, his own features relaxed and merely attentive.

“Again, my Lord?” Hakyeon asked, straightening up and furrowing his brows slightly in confusion. Ravi strode comfortably over to the bench Hakyeon was perched on and sat beside the prince.

“This is the same spot I found you in when I gave you that bouquet. Do you like it here?”

Hakyeon, surprised to find that Ravi was right, looked around at the surrounding gemstone spires, emitting their ever-present faint glow. There were a few trees nearby as well and this side of the palace looked out over the Fields of Asphodel before sloping down towards Elysium and the Isle of the Blest. Feeling a serene smile tug at the corners of his mouth, Hakyeon nodded, still staring out over the expanse of land.

“I suppose I do, yes. It’s peaceful here, tucked away. Plus, it sort of reminds me of the world above.”

“I’m glad,” came Ravi’s soft reply, abruptly reminding Hakyeon of whom he was talking to. Afraid that he might have upset Ravi with his mention of the mortal world and home, Hakyeon risked looking over at his companion. He was surprised, however, to find that Ravi was smiling sadly – almost wistfully – at Hakyeon; like he was reminded that everything that passed between them was merely temporary and somewhat forced.

Suddenly guilty and uncomfortable, Hakyeon shifted from side to side and awkwardly cleared his throat. The prince’s gaze shifted quickly to resume looking out across the fields, hoping that the tension would break, or an excuse for one of them to leave would soon arise.

“Ah, I…” Ravi started after a few more moments of unsure silence stretched between them. Hakyeon glanced sideways at his master, wondering what he was going to talk about now.

“I meant to give you something.” Curious, Hakyeon watched as Ravi raised a hand to his lips and blew a sharp, clear whistle that echoed briefly in the open cavern. Watching Ravi’s profile in complete bewilderment, as the Lord of the Dead seemed to be searching for something, Hakyeon could only wonder what he was up to.

“Oh, there she is,” Ravi finally spoke up, standing and taking a couple steps away from the bench. Hakyeon watched him, not moving from his spot, brows dipping only further in complete confusion at this point.

“She, my Lord?”

Ravi said nothing as one of the dry, blackened bushes near his feet rustled violently before a small, dark brown bundle of fur tumbled from between the branches and promptly starting pawing at Ravi’s shoe. Stooping to the ground, Ravi gently picked up the little creature and made his way over to Hakyeon.

“Is that…?” Hakyeon asked in complete disbelief, eyes fixated on the little creature.

“Her owners called her Roxy. She was about four months old before she came here. I sensed her coming and thought you might like to watch over her. Normally, the spirits of house pets end up in Elysium or are reborn; but I know you are still missing Olympus and…well, living things. Roxy isn’t alive obviously but…I thought she might help.”

Ravi quickly deposited the little puppy on Hakyeon’s lap, looking anxious and a little pink as he finished explaining why the pup was here in the first place. Hakyeon merely looked between Ravi and the little animal that was now pawing at Hakyeon’s fingers.

After a couple heartbeats, Hakyeon’s face broke into a large smile, laughter bubbling up from his chest and slipping past his lips before he even realized that he was laughing. Hakyeon felt rather than saw Ravi’s gaze snap to the prince. Roxy was now cradled in Hakyeon’s hands as he held her up to his face, letting her lick his nose as he continued to laugh softly.

“I love her, my Lord,” Hakyeon said, his voice overflowing with genuine gratitude at the gesture. Lowering Roxy back to his lap, Hakyeon let his eyes travel to Ravi’s stunned expression and smiled kindly. “Thank you.”

Seeming slightly overwhelmed and caught off guard at Hakyeon’s genuine reaction to his gift, Ravi nodded quickly and straightened his shirt awkwardly. His cheeks were bright pink now as he muttered something about work to do and then walked off towards the palace.

Watching him go, Hakyeon’s hand absently stroked through Roxy’s fur as he smiled to himself. Unlike the last gift Ravi had given Hakyeon, the prince did not doubt the motive behind the gesture. Turning his gaze to look at the puppy again, Hakyeon chuckled as she yipped happily at him.

Hakyeon allowed himself to think that maybe Ravi really wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

Hakyeon handed Jaehwan a mug of steaming tea, the ceramic warm against his fingers. Sitting down beside the spirit, Hakyeon let out a quiet sigh and leaned back in the chair, looking out over the garden before them. Jaehwan was silent beside him, the spirit’s thumb rubbing absently back and forth over the rim of his mug.

Roxy pranced between their feet, yipping happily as she chased a pebble back and forth between the chairs.

“You said Ravi gave her to you?” Jaehwan asked, his voice quiet as Roxy pounced on his foot. He looked fondly down at the pup and gave a soft, breath of a laugh at her wagging tail.

“Yes,” Hakyeon said, also smiling down at Roxy. “He said that she had made her way here and thought I might like to have her around.”

“So is it safe to assume that he also gave you that necklace you haven’t taken off in days?”

Hakyeon’s hand automatically reached up to curl his fingers around the glowing stone. It was true, he hadn’t taken it off since Ravi had gifted it to him; but he still flushed at being found out. Glancing sideways at Jaehwan, Hakyeon blushed even harder at the knowing smirk the spirit was giving him.

“It’s pretty,” he grumbled as a lame excuse. Jaehwan didn’t look fooled.

“Hey man,” Jaehwan said, leaning back in his chair as Roxy scampered away to play with another pebble. “I don’t care what you two are doing in your spare time. I just hope you’re being careful. It would suck if one of you happened to misunderstand the other and fell out.”

“What do you mean?” Hakyeon asked, setting his mug aside and staring at Jaehwan curiously.

“Seriously?” Jaehwan scoffed. “Dude, Ravi’s being so obvious about it, it’s not even funny. He’s given you, what? Flowers, Roxy, that necklace, and apparently has invited you to dinner multiple times, too. He’s being very obvious about how he feels.”

“Please,” Hakyeon laughed humorlessly. “He’s just doing this to try and placate me. Before the four of you showed up, I wasn’t exactly great company. He’s just trying to keep me pleased so I don’t bite anyone’s head off. There’s no way he likes me in the way you are insinuating.”

Jaehwan gave Hakyeon a skeptical look, seeming to be on the verge of reaching over and hitting Hakyeon upside the head. But he merely sighed and gave a resigned shake of his head.

“Whatever you say,” Jaehwan huffed. “It’s your problem, man. I’m just telling you what I see, and to me it looks like the king has a thing for the prince.”

“Jaehwan, stop,” Hakyeon grit out, his jaw clenched as he glared at the ground in front of him. “I don’t want to hear this right now. Ravi kidnapped me and forced me to come here. Then after I think I’ve escaped, my uncle made the decision of my fate without me – they didn’t even let me speak – before I was thrown back down here into this dark hell. So the last thing I want to hear from you, is that the man who is at fault for my suffering is trying to make a move on me.”

Jaehwan did go silent after that, the spirit turning his gaze to Roxy as she bounded around before them. Hakyeon stewed in his bitterness, trying to ignore the now cold, heavy feeling of his necklace pressing into his collarbone.

He blamed himself for allowing his emotions to become swept up by Ravi’s gestures of kindness. He of course never once believed that the king was trying to approach him romantically, as that would be absurd. But he had been willing to believe that Ravi was genuinely trying to comfort him and make Hakyeon happy. It was only now that he had spoken his thoughts aloud to Jaehwan, that the prince realized how foolish he had been. There was no reason for Ravi to initiate such gestures for anything other than to get what he wanted.

Hakyeon knew this, but his chest still ached with sadness.

* * *

Hakyeon sat in his room, curled up on the floor with his back pressed into the side of his bed. The edge of the frame was digging somewhat uncomfortably into his spine, but Hakyeon could have cared less. The feeling was grounding, even if it was starting to ache.

Roxy was curled up against his ankle, her tiny spirit body somehow a warm comfort against all logic of ghosts. Wiping at his eyes, Hakyeon tried not to cry again as his chest constricted.

He had already cried two – maybe three times since returning from his time with Jaehwan. The more he thought about what they had talked about, the worse his chest hurt and the more his tears fell; even if he didn’t know why.

Hakyeon knew that he was upset over the idea he had given himself that Ravi could care less about Hakyeon. The thought that all of the thoughtful gestures and gifts were merely a means to keep Hakyeon’s presence in the palace pleasant hurt more than Hakyeon could comprehend. He had known this from the beginning, yet here he was; crying.

Angrily, Hakyeon dashed at his dampening eyes and let out a watery huff. Sniffling, trying to clear his nose, Hakyeon distracted himself by gently pulling his fingers through Roxy’s fur. The little pup twitched in her sleep, but otherwise did not move.

As much as Hakyeon wanted to get revenge on Ravi for toying so easily with his feelings, the prince could not bring himself to cast out the pup. She was innocent in this game, a mere pawn used by the King of the Underworld. Roxy had had no say in any of this, and Hakyeon could not blame the poor creature for Ravi’s deeds.

There was also the necklace that Ravi had given him, another item that Hakyeon wished he could cast aside. Regardless of those wishes, Hakyeon found that he was unable to yet again. The warm heartbeat-like pulse of the gem was comforting and it reminded Hakyeon of being alive, of the sunlight waiting for him back home.

Thinking of the gem, Hakyeon reached up and cupped his fingers under the jewel. The pulse had faded slightly earlier in the day, and Hakyeon had panicked, thinking that it was fading out and would disappear. It had dimmed a little more since then, but was holding steady for now.

Hakyeon hated to admit it, but he loved the necklace. Aside from the comfort it provided him, it was also very beautiful.

“What am I going to do, Roxy?” Hakyeon murmured. “I don’t have feelings for the king, and I’m sure he does not harbor feelings for me in return. But I still feel so hurt and confused. I let myself get caught up in his gestures and started to think he was a good person. But he’s not; he’s just been toying with me this whole time. What should I _do_?”

Lifting her head, Roxy stared up at Hakyeon with her bright amber eyes, tiny tail wagging slightly against the floor. Sighing, Hakyeon continued to pet her fur, lifting his gaze to stare at the wall opposite.

As much as Hakyeon hated to admit it to himself, he could not find any reason to remain angry at Ravi. He felt as if his emotions had been toyed with, but when he remembered Jaehwan’s words and recalled the blush that always spread over Ravi’s cheeks, Hakyeon hesitated in his anger. He knew that blush – even on a god – was an involuntary reaction, and that it had to mean something.

Had Ravi been _embarrassed?_

There was no way he could be embarrassed about presenting a gift to someone. The man had been alive for millennia, and there was no way this was the first time he had done this to woo another. So that was out of the question.

Sitting up a little straighter, Hakyeon’s muscles screeched in protest after being stationary for so long. He ignored the feeling, mind racing as he tried to understand why Ravi would be blushing and acting shy while giving Hakyeon gifts. Not just meaningless, material gifts, but things that had meant something to Hakyeon and had made him happy.

_Why would he do that, if not to keep me pleasant?_ Hakyeon chewed at his lip, not bothering to wonder why he was searching so desperately for this validation.

Perhaps…Jaehwan’s words held some sort of truth to them.

Tipping his head back against his mattress with a small sigh and a hesitant smile, Hakyeon missed the pulse of his necklace glowing just a bit brighter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of backstory in this chapter so sorry if things are a little boring. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy it!

Another week passed easily, taking Hakyeon to near the end of his second month out of his three-month sentence in the Underworld. Since the spirits had arrived, the time seemed to pass a bit more easily now than before when it was just Hakyeon wandering and consistently avoiding Ravi day in and day out. These days Hakyeon found himself wandering the palace with either Hyuk or Hongbin - often times it was both at once - and sitting in the gardens around the palace. They would speak of fond memories, sometimes darker memories, and Hakyeon found himself telling the two of them, and Jaehwan, one day of how he had come to live in the palace with Ravi. It was easier than Hakyeon had expected it to be, and part of him eluded that to the fact that Taekwoon had been so nonjudgmental when he had found out via the tapestry. The other three were no different, reaching out instead to comfort Hakyeon rather than shame him. It was surprising really; to see just how comfortable the young spirits were around Hakyeon. That was how Hakyeon knew he would be in trouble when he eventually had to leave them behind, especially since Hyuk, though he had yet to divulge what exactly it was that burdened him, had opened up significantly. He spoke easily with Hongbin and the two of them would even throw playful banter back and forth while lounging in the garden.

It warmed Hakyeon’s heart, but sometimes it also hurt Hakyeon to watch them when they were like that. It was simply because it was a harsh reminder of how young they both were. It seemed unfair that they had been taken from the world of the living before they had even had the chance to grow up. But if he thought about it, Hakyeon was also glad they were able to feel so at ease here instead of cowering in misery and terror in their previous lives.

Hakyeon had hardly seen Ravi since he had given him Roxy. Whether it was because Hakyeon avoided him due to his conflicted feelings, or the king’s business, Ravi had been scarce lately. Hakyeon presumed that the Lord of Death's lack of presence around the palace corridors was due to a heavy workload. Souls were constantly coming into the Underworld, and being responsible for all of them would absolutely take much of one's time.

It wasn't that Hakyeon was complaining about the lack of Ravi's presence, it was just odd to not be actively avoiding him all the time.

As for Taekwoon and Jaehwan, Hakyeon hadn't seen nearly as much of them as he did of Hyuk and Hongbin. Hakyeon had only bumped into Taekwoon once after their encounter in Ravi’s study, and it had been brief and uneventful. However, Jaehwan would sometimes join them in the garden, having discovered their frequent stomping ground a couple days after Hyuk had started spending time with Hakyeon and Hongbin. Jaehwan wasn't always eager to talk, but when he was, Hongbin and Hyuk fluidly worked Jaehwan into their easy banter. It left Hakyeon content to just sit back and watch them most of the time.

Over the course of the passing days though, Hakyeon's nightmare about the metallic thorns, and Ravi being completely engulfed in them while the thorns held Hakyeon’s hand back, continued to make an appearance. It was an almost nightly routine, leaving Hakyeon to wake up frightened and tangled in sweaty sheets. The phantom pain in his right hand was consistently a dull throb, one that he was becoming better at ignoring throughout the day. But the continuing imagery night after night was extremely unsettling.

Roxy had quickly been assimilated into their odd little group, bounding around the spirits’ ankles and usually content on following Hakyeon or one of the others around for the day. She slept near Hakyeon’s head and would often know when he was having his nightmare, because Roxy would curl herself up in Hakyeon’s lap the moment he would wake up; Hakyeon was endlessly grateful to Ravi for giving him Roxy.

Everything, including the nightmare, was starting to just become part of a routine. However, it was on one of their quiet garden lounging escapades that things started to change. Hakyeon and Hongbin had walked to the garden together, Jaehwan joining them not too long afterwards. Roxy was sleeping in Hakyeon’s room, having tired herself out running around the palace earlier. They were content in the garden, waiting for Hyuk to join them, but as the minutes stretched on, Hongbin became increasingly worried about Hyuk's absence and very clearly showed it. Hakyeon was also getting a little nervous about where the youngest spirit might be, but before he could suggest going on a search for him, the sound of scuffing footsteps reached the trio's ears.

Coming down the garden path was Hyuk, his head hanging forward in a bowed position, looking at the ground as he dragged his feet against the dark dirt. His arms were wrapped around himself, the playful air he had developed over the couple weeks he had been here nowhere to be seen in his current demeanor. Hongbin was on his feet first, rushing to Hyuk's side and touching the younger boy's arm gently.

"Hyuk? Are you all right?" Hongbin asked quietly, eyes scanning up and down Hyuk's hunched figure. "Did something happen?"

Hyuk remained quiet as Hongbin lead him over to a waiting Hakyeon and Jaehwan. The two youngest spirits sat down beside each other, Hongbin all but holding Hyuk in his lap. Hakyeon wanted to move forward and comfort Hyuk a bit, but it seemed like Hongbin had that well in hand.

"Nightmare," the soft reply came eventually. It was hardly more than a whisper, and Hakyeon was surprised he hadn't missed it.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Hakyeon spoke up, shifting a bit so he sat more comfortably against the trunk of a tree. Thankfully their frequent sitting area in the gardens had moved away from the pomegranate trees that so often haunted Hakyeon's consciousness. He had a feeling that the others had seen to that after Hakyeon had told them his story. But now was not the time to think about it.

Hyuk didn't answer for a long time, leaving the other three wondering if he had even heard Hakyeon's question. Despite that, none of them pressed the issue. They merely sat in a slightly tense silence and waited. Hongbin's hand had captured one of Hyuk's in his own, cradling it gently in an attempt at providing comfort. Hakyeon could see Hongbin's thumb gently rubbing soothing strokes up and down the back of Hyuk's hand from where he sat. It was pleasant to see that the two of them had grown so close. And while Hakyeon suspected that their relationship was probably headed towards something far more than friendship, he didn't openly ask either of them about it since it really wasn't his place. He didn’t even know if the two of them had figured it out yet.

"It was my past," Hyuk's voice startled all of them, their eyes immediately snapping to focus on the young spirit as he continued to stare at the ground in front of him. "My nightmare was about how I died."

"Hyuk," Hongbin said in a soft, comforting tone. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

Shaking his head, Hyuk glanced at Hongbin gratefully for a brief moment. "It's okay. I want to. I know it really hasn't been that long since we got here, but maybe it will stop these nightmares if I do, or at least lessen them." Hyuk gave Hongbin's hand a visible squeeze before he took a deep breath and tried to start his story.

"My parents, I guess it starts with them at least, were killed in front of me when I was twelve. My father was part of a notorious gang in my home city, and by association, my whole family basically belonged to the gang and their leader. I still don't know what my father did that set them off, but a bunch of goons showed up at our house one night and murdered my parents. They spared me and took me back to the leader. He had - for some reason - decided to let me live and turned me into some sort of errand boy. At least, I was an errand boy at first, until I turned sixteen and they decided that I was tough enough to be a fighter. A couple nights a week they made a bunch of the younger members fight while the rest gambled on who would win. I was decent, but far from the best, even after fighting like that for four years.

"I got my ass handed to me one night, so I was too slow on an errand they sent me on the next day. Everything hurt so I couldn't move very quickly and of course the one time I get caught I'm carrying a bunch of illegal drugs that the gang had been trafficking. I got away, but I didn't get away with the merchandise, so showing up empty handed at the compound was not the smartest thing to do. But I had nowhere else to go, so I didn't really have any other choice. They decided that since the cops had seen my face and I had come back empty handed, I was of no further use to them."

Hyuk paused here, his throat constricting as the memories rushed to the forefront of his mind. Hongbin's hand in his was a reassuring grounding point, one that Hyuk took serious advantage of before he found himself able to continue speaking without his voice completely failing him.

"They dragged me to this alley behind the compound and beat the shit out of me. They kicked me and punched me and threw me around. One of them pulled a knife on me and made sure that I felt everything, never cutting deep enough to be fatal. They were toying with me since I was a low-ranking member and no one would really care if I went out without a shred of dignity. They also were complete sadists and really got off on causing pain. And just to top it all off, they shoved my head into this disgusting tub of sewer water and held me under until I couldn't help but breathe in the water."

Hyuk's voice had turned bitter at some point during his retelling. But instead of looking angry, he just looked exhausted and sad, like he genuinely thought that the way he had gone out had been deserved on his part. Hongbin's eyes were glistening with tears, but his brow was furrowed with an emotion far past anger. He looked as if he wanted to tear his way back into the world of the living and personally send every single one of those responsible for Hyuk's death down to the Fields of Punishment with his own two hands.

Hakyeon himself found that during Hyuk's story, his hands had curled into fists. The edges of his nails were digging painfully into the pads of his palms, so he forced himself to relax a little, even though he wanted nothing more than to go with Hongbin and personally deal with every single one of those sick bastards that had tortured Hyuk.

"Well shit," Jaehwan spoke up for the first time. Glancing sideways at him, Hakyeon was surprised to find a mix of bitterness and pain in his expression. "I guess while we're on the topic, I might as well tell you guys how I went out."

"Jaehwan, you don’t-" Hakyeon started, wanting to tell him that he didn't have to if he wasn't comfortable doing so. But Jaehwan cut him off before he could.

"No, it's okay. Might as well, since I know I won't want to later."

Pursing his lips, Hakyeon let out a tight breath and nodded to Jaehwan. Glancing over to check on Hyuk, Hakyeon wasn't surprised to see that he had decided to lay down, his head pillowed on Hongbin's lap. Hongbin meanwhile was pulling his fingers lazily through Hyuk's hair, his other hand still holding onto one of Hyuk's. Hakyeon was really glad they had each other.

"My parents were...not the best. They didn't exactly plan on having the majority of my brothers and sisters and I. So, being the third kid of five, it was hard to feel like I wasn't a mistake. But hey, at least I knew my place in the family, so I never really expected much from them. I took care of my younger brother and sister most of the time and we were really close.

“And my parents weren't horrible for the first ten years of my life, but after my youngest brother was born, they started getting overwhelmed, bills started piling up, they got aggressive and took it out on us one too many times. I tried to make sure they never touched my siblings, and the older two were already out of the house by that point so I was the only one left to protect them. My parents would beat me over the smallest things too. Things like a late payment, a mediocre grade one of us would bring home from school, or even talking when they didn't want to hear anything from us. It wasn't hard to make sure they took out all their anger on me, and it was something I had to do, so I never really thought about it much when it came to taking the blame."

Hakyeon watched Jaehwan’s face as he told his story. It was obvious that he was struggling to suppress how much this was actually affecting him. The bitterness was clear in his tone, but it almost looked like he was also trying to suppress guilt and genuine sadness. Hakyeon suspected that Jaehwan didn’t want to feel so much hatred towards his parents, but if what he was saying was true, it didn’t surprise Hakyeon that he did. There was no reason for him not to.

“The week before I…died was awful. My parents were getting worse and worse, beating me until I blacked out or couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. It wasn’t like I was going to beg them to stop or try to avoid it because if I did, they would go after my siblings. But that last night, I had to stay out rather late at my part-time job, and when I got home, I saw my dad beating my little brother with a textbook. I just…snapped. I went after my dad and starting throwing him into the wall and punching him, kicking him, yelling at him. I only stopped because my brother started crying and I really didn’t want him to see me like that.

“I took my sister and brother to my friend’s place and told her that I would be back for them. I wanted to go back to the house and tell my parents that they were never going to do this to us again, that we were leaving. But on my way back, these three guys jumped me and dragged me all the way back to my house. Apparently they knew my parents, and my mom had called them to come after me because of what I did to my dad. They beat me even worse than my parents did and then held me up so my dad could take his own hits at me.”

Jaehwan’s eyes were filled with tears at this point; his hands trembling even as Jaehwan clenched them into fists to try and get them to stop. Hakyeon couldn’t help himself as he moved closer, lifting a hand to give a comforting squeeze against the base of Jaehwan’s neck.

“My dad…he made me look him in the eye while he told me that they never wanted me around, and that they would get rid of my siblings the same way he was going to get rid of me. I tried so hard to fight back, but I couldn’t move, and then he just stabbed me in the gut with his pocketknife before they all just left me there to die. I went out pretty quickly, and I’m ashamed of that. I couldn’t do anything to protect my siblings.”

“That’s not true,” Hakyeon immediately replied as he shifted so he could look at Jaehwan’s face a little better. There were tears tracking their way down Jaehwan’s cheeks even as the younger boy’s eyes glittered with anger and disgust.

“Jaehwan,” Hakyeon tried again. “You did a lot to protect your brother and sister, and I’m sure they’re grateful and miss you very much. I can’t tell you that they’re okay because I don’t know, but you took them away before your parents did that to you. I’m sure your friend did everything she could to keep them safe.”

“But I-I won’t ever _know_ ,” Jaehwan bit out, his chest heaving over the word as he tried to forcibly repress a sob. “They were all I had.”

Hakyeon pulled Jaehwan into his shoulder as the younger spirit completely broke down, sobbing harshly and shaking in Hakyeon’s hold. There was a fierce fire igniting in Hakyeon’s chest after listening to these boys’ stories. Part of him wanted nothing more than to go to the world of the living and hunt down those who wronged these boys. But he knew that was stupid and would get him into trouble he wouldn’t be able to get out of. All he could do at this point was make sure these tortured spirits could rest comfortably in the palace.

It was then that Hakyeon suddenly got an idea, perking up ever so slightly as he came to the revelation. Giving a slight squeeze to Jaehwan’s shoulders, Hakyeon tried to give the boy a little more comfort before he started speaking.

“Why don’t the three of you go back to your rooms and get some rest? This has been hard for you all.”

Hyuk let out a small noise of agreement as he reluctantly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Hongbin, already getting up, reached down to help Hyuk to his feet. The two of them seemed content to slip away and go back to their rooms; though as Hakyeon nodded goodbye to them, he suspected they wouldn’t be parting ways back in the palace.

This just left Jaehwan, sitting with his knees curled into his chest and face buried in his arms. Hakyeon guessed that the spirit was trying to find some sort of equilibrium after everything he had just revealed threw him off kilter. Shifting again so Hakyeon sat directly in front of Jaehwan, he reached out and gave a soft squeeze to the spirit’s elbow.

“Jaehwan,” Hakyeon said quietly. “I know that was hard for you to do, but I’m glad you talked to us. I think you should go get some rest now.”

“I miss them,” came the quiet whimper, pulling at Hakyeon’s heartstrings. But he tried to keep his voice steady as he comforted Jaehwan.

“I know you do,” Hakyeon said quietly, rubbing his hand soothingly over Jaehwan’s forearm. “I feel the same way about my mother. But one day, you’ll be able to see them again. Hopefully they live full lives and you won’t see them for a while, but you will see them again.”

Eventually Jaehwan raised his face from his arms, eyes red and bloodshot from crying, and his cheeks ruddy as well. Hakyeon didn’t know how much comfort his last statement had given to Jaehwan, but it was the truth and that was all he could offer at the moment.

“Thank you, Hakyeon,” Jaehwan said, his voice scratchy and rough from crying, but genuine all the same. He looked exhausted and Hakyeon urged him to head back to his room and get some sleep. It didn’t take much coaxing before Jaehwan was trudging back to his room alongside Hakyeon, rubbing at his eyes to try and dry them as they walked.

Hakyeon wanted nothing more than to give real assurance to this tormented spirit that his siblings were okay, but he would have to do some work before that could happen. It would probably take a lot of persuading, but Hakyeon figured it was worth it if it could put Jaehwan’s mind at rest.

* * *

Hakyeon stood in front of the large, ebony double doors at the end of the hall, his own bedroom mere steps away. Leaving Jaehwan with Hyuk and Hongbin – who had come back looking for him so they could all be together – Hakyeon had immediately made his way to Ravi’s door. He had been entirely confident in what he was doing right up until Hakyeon raised his hand to knock on the door of his master. It had been a few moments since he hesitated, hand still raised, knuckles curled and poised to rap against the door.

What was he doing? Hadn’t he said he wanted to stay out of the affairs of this cruel hell? Since when had Hakyeon become protective of those spirits, acting for them and worrying and caring? When had that happened over the course of a mere two months? Of course he knew exactly when that had happened, but he still tried to deny it, still not fully accepting that he had failed to remain removed from the Underworld once again.

Hakyeon had almost talked himself down, had almost managed to convince himself to walk away, despite the ache in his chest when he thought about what he wouldn’t be doing for Jaehwan if he turned and didn’t look back. It would have been cruel of Hakyeon to do, an awful thing really.

So he supposed it was luck or fate that Ravi’s terrified shout sounded from the other side of the door. The noise caused Hakyeon to move purely on instinct, lunging for the handle and shoving his way into the room he had never even laid eyes on. It was basically forbidden for anyone to enter the king’s room without explicit permission from the king himself. But that shout had sent a shock through Hakyeon. So now here he was, standing just over the threshold of the double doors, the handle still clutched in the grasp of his fingers as Hakyeon wondered what he had just done and if he would be punished for his stupidity.

But any thought of punishment was dashed from his mind when he saw the scene splayed out before him.

Ravi was collapsed in the middle of the floor near the large bed he had clearly been in moments before. The sheets were tangled around his legs, stretching from the mattress to the king like a tether. Even from across the room, Hakyeon could see Ravi’s shoulders shaking. At this point, rational thinking was completely beyond Hakyeon as he quickly shut the door and made his way over to the trembling god.

“Lord Ravi?” Hakyeon said quietly, bending down to try and get a look at his master’s face – from a safe distance that is. Hakyeon could hear Ravi muttering something under his breath, and was wary of getting too close. The frightened king might lash out if Hakyeon accidentally startled him, and he really did not want to be on the other end of a spooked immortal’s strike. Jaehwan had already experienced the power behind Ravi’s swing, and it was not something Hakyeon cared to experience himself.

“Lord Ravi?” Hakyeon tried again, this time shifting a little closer and hesitantly reaching out to touch his master’s arm. He pulled back sharply, sucking in a quick breath. Ravi’s skin was slick with sweat and cold to the touch, like wet marble. Concerned, Hakyeon shifted a little closer and tried to get Ravi to respond to him. “Are you ill? Do you need me to call a servant to bring you something?”

Ravi finally did raise his eyes, the expression Hakyeon found there making him take in another sharp breath of shock. This trembling, hollow looking figure before him was nothing of the dignified Lord that Hakyeon had known upon his arrival to the Underworld. Ravi’s eyes were hollow and full of terror, his cheeks looked gaunt and his overall presence was radiating fear. Hakyeon had no idea what to do at this point, he and Ravi stuck in the electric field of each other’s gaze.

“Ravi,” Hakyeon breathed, the name spilling from his lips seemed to jolt the king from his stupor. Blinking at Hakyeon, Ravi’s shoulders deflated a little as the corner of his lips twitched upward for a brief moment.

“That’s the first time you’ve addressed me informally. Took quiet a bit of effort on my part.” A weak chuckle left Ravi’s lips, followed quickly by a sharp wince as the tension returned to Ravi’s shoulders. Hakyeon could feel a flush creeping into his cheeks, not having meant to slip up and abandon formalities. But now was not the time to indulge Ravi’s comment.

“Do you need me to get a servant to help you?” Hakyeon asked again, trying to keep his tone even and rid himself of the heat in his cheeks. “What happened?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Ravi’s tone was an attempt at the usual brisk, commanding whip that it usually was. But it fell far too short, sounding pitiful in the hoarse voice that left Ravi’s lips.

“My Lord,” Hakyeon said in exasperation, not sure why the king was being so stubborn. “Forgive my boldness but you are most certainly not fine. I highly doubt it’s normal to find the King of the Dead sprawled across his bedroom floor, tangled in the sheets, and looking absolutely petrified.”

Ravi stared up at Hakyeon for a few quiet moments, the heavy silence returning the flush to Hakyeon’s cheeks as he waited under the intense gaze of his king.

_Why aren’t you saying anything?_ Hakyeon wondered bitterly, feeling as though Ravi were doing this on purpose to make him uncomfortable. Hakyeon had half a mind to leave Ravi on the floor to his own devices and go about his business. There was no reason Hakyeon owed Ravi any sort of help with whatever was going on with him if he was going to be stubborn like this.

“It was a nightmare,” Ravi finally confessed, looking embarrassed as he finally freed Hakyeon from the heat of his gaze. Hakyeon shifted and sat down in front of Ravi, watching as the god attempted to untangle his legs from the sheets with trembling hands. After Ravi fumbled and failed to free his legs three times, Hakyeon took pity on his master and easily disentangled the shaken king. Ravi nodded his thanks minutely and continued to avoid Hakyeon’s eye. It was odd to see Ravi like this, though as Hakyeon tossed the twisted, sweaty sheets back onto the bed, he figured he couldn’t really blame Ravi for looking like this if it really had been a nightmare.

Making himself more comfortable on the floor, Hakyeon raised an eyebrow at Ravi, wondering if the king was going to continue. Ravi had pushed his back against the side of the bed, sitting with his knees up and running a hand through his platinum colored hair. The king pushed out a weary sigh as he dropped his head back on the mattress wearily. Hakyeon took a risk and hesitantly moved to sit against the bed beside Ravi, hoping that it would prompt the king to talk to him. He was still unsure as to why he cared so much, but something in Hakyeon’s subconscious was telling him that whatever Ravi had dreamt about was relative to Hakyeon in some way.

“I have been having the same nightmare for weeks now, and no matter what I do, the dream will not go away. It keeps coming back to haunt me, torment me. I am a god, I should not be dreaming in the first place. But it does not end and I’m beginning to think that it’s a warning or an omen…and I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you see, Lord Ravi?” Hakyeon asked, his voice soft but insistent. There was a tug in the prince’s gut as Ravi explained the situation, recognizing some similarities between his nightmare occurrences and Ravi’s.

Ravi picked his head up off the mattress and stared at his hands where they hung limply as his arms draped over his knees. A new kind of darkness seemed to settle over Ravi’s features before he began to speak.

“It’s always the same; I’m walking through one of my gardens, except it isn’t exactly mine. None of the flowers or trees are there anymore, it’s just an endless maze of thorns that are all but metallic and thick enough to block the view through them.”

Hakyeon’s breath caught in his throat as Ravi started to describe his nightmare, the exact same nightmare that Hakyeon had been having for weeks now. But he couldn’t speak up and say as much to Ravi, his voice failing him at the idea that he and Ravi were sharing a dream. The thought briefly crossed Hakyeon’s mind that Ravi had somehow found out about his reoccurring torturous dream and was using it to taunt him, but Hakyeon had told no one, not even Hongbin, about this dream.

“I keep walking,” Ravi continued, drawing Hakyeon’s horrified attention back to him again. “And suddenly the thorns are moving and they’re all around me, wrapping around my shoulders, my chest, my arms and pulling me down to the ground until I can’t move and I’m just completely covered in them. And no matter what I do, I can’t break free of them. Sometimes I hear wailing…horrific unending wailing and I don’t know where it comes from.”

Hakyeon felt some of the anger and tension leave his shoulders, realizing that Ravi was now deviating from the path Hakyeon’s nightmare took, sounding genuine. Watching quietly, Hakyeon could see that Ravi’s hands had minute tremors running through them; tremors that he was very obviously trying to hide from Hakyeon. And before he could think better of it, Hakyeon’s hands were reaching out and pulling Ravi’s shaking fingers into his grip. Hakyeon wished that he had someone to do this with, wanting a grounding point when he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t when he awoke from the painful dream. So instead he offered it to Ravi.

The king was – understandably – surprised by Hakyeon’s gesture, but accepted it nonetheless. His tremors continued as he spoke, but there was a new calmness beginning to settle over Ravi’s features, obviously taking comfort in Hakyeon’s presence.

“Sometimes I can catch a glimpse of someone nearby, and I hear them screaming and begging to be let go. But I never see their face and the pain is too overwhelming for me to try and recognize them…I feel completely powerless in that dream.”

Sighing silently to himself, Hakyeon knew then that – for whatever reason – his and Ravi’s dream was connected. If he had to guess, the nightmare had probably been plaguing Ravi’s nights for almost a month now, as it had for Hakyeon. He didn’t dare mention this now, not when Ravi was in this state.

“My Lord, I am no magician or Oracle, I cannot tell you what your dream might be predicting or if it even is at all. But perhaps this should be something you dwell on when you’ve recovered from the shock of it.”

Ravi’s weight seemed to sag backwards against the mattress, his eyes fluttering shut as a heavy breath escaped the king’s lips. Hakyeon’s hands were still intertwined with Ravi’s, the clamminess of Ravi’s skin having subsided significantly over the minutes they spent on the floor.

“You’re right,” Ravi spoke eventually. “I should try to sleep a little more before I return to my duties.”

Hakyeon nodded quietly and proceeded to help Ravi to his feet before maneuvering the unsteady king back into bed. Straightening out the silken sheets, Hakyeon adjusted them accordingly before draping them over Ravi’s prone form. Tugging them securely up to Ravi’s shoulders, Hakyeon inclined his head in a little bow and turned to take his leave.

“Hakyeon?” Ravi’s voice stopped the prince in his tracks. “If it isn’t too much to ask of you, would you mind staying with me for the night?”

The prince’s initial response was to deny Ravi immediately, but something stopped his tongue from forming the words to do so. Perhaps it was the stolen glance Hakyeon took of Ravi tucked like a child under the lonely sheets. Or maybe it was the warm feeling that stirred and settled in Hakyeon’s chest at the thought of their previous encounters in which Hakyeon felt safe, content, and found himself trusting the sincerity in Ravi’s voice.

So instead of walking out the door, Hakyeon acquiesced Ravi’s hesitant request and crawled onto the large mattress before tentatively finding his way under the sheets. Tucking a hand underneath his head, Hakyeon took care to not accidentally knock Ravi’s head with his elbow. It was only when Ravi gingerly pillowed his head against Hakyeon’s outstretched bicep that the prince realized the king was seeking comfort and contact from Hakyeon’s presence, not just security. Unsure of what exactly was happening, Hakyeon merely allowed the king to remain next to him, their only contact point where Ravi’s head was against Hakyeon’s arm.

It was disorienting to not be completely put off by this turn of events, Hakyeon finally realizing exactly how much their relationship had developed and changed over the two months he had been here, despite Hakyeon’s own misgivings about Ravi. It also shocked Hakyeon into realizing that whatever promises he had made himself about not becoming entangled in the affairs of the Underworld had been completely cast aside at this point. The notion was terrifying when Hakyeon thought of all he would be leaving behind here in merely one month’s time. He had previously thought that everything of his current existence had been left on Olympus, yet here he was, realizing that a large part of him was going to be left behind in Ravi’s hands when it was time to return to the living world.

Ravi’s breathing had slowed, the cadence soft and heavy as Hakyeon realized that the King had already slipped back into unconsciousness. He could feel his own eyelids growing heavy, fluttering with the weight of trying to stay awake with the terrifying thoughts of caring for those he spent his days with here.

The last thought Hakyeon had before drifting off to sleep was that he really didn’t mind the idea of having a home here as well as on Olympus.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind comments so far! It means a lot to me, even if I don't always have a moment to respond to you all, I do see what you say and I appreciate it very much. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Hakyeon couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up feeling comfortable and warm. It seemed like ages since he had last awoken in his room on Olympus, bathed in golden sunlight and wrapped in soft sheets that kept him warm, but not unbearably so. Humming softly, content, Hakyeon tried to burrow deeper into his blankets, wondering why he was so warm even though the light behind his eyelids wasn’t as bright as it normally was on Olympus. Hakyeon’s brow furrowed in confusion when his one arm didn’t move, immobilized by some heavy weight. It wasn’t a bad heavy, the pressure soft and warm, but he was confused all the same.

Reluctantly, Hakyeon blinked open his eyes, the confusion settling deeper in his chest and turning to concern when he found himself in a spacious, dark room. The sheets, bed, and room; everything was not his and Hakyeon felt momentary panic before remembering the weight against his arm. Looking down quickly, fear coursed through him at the thought of being trapped here.

When Hakyeon’s eyes landed on the tousled mop of silver hair fanning over his golden skin, something calmed the fear by a minuscule degree. Continuing to roam downwards, Hakyeon found the smooth, relaxed expression of Ravi as he slept.

Hakyeon’s panic completely dissolved as he was suddenly reminded of the past two months, Ravi’s slow breaths erasing Hakyeon’s confusion and allowing his heart to stop pounding against his ribs.

Reaching out with hesitant fingers, Hakyeon gingerly brushed a few stray strands of silver hair from Ravi’s face and gently tucked them into place. As his fingers moved, Hakyeon’s eyes stayed glued to Ravi’s peaceful face, memorizing the relaxed expression he had never seen before on the Lord of Death’s face. He wondered distantly what Ravi could be dreaming about, or if he was dreaming at all.

It clearly wasn’t their shared nightmare.

The thought left a sour twist in Hakyeon’s gut, remembering with sudden vivacity the imagery of that cruel dream. What could it mean that they were sharing the same unconscious visions, only from different points of view? If Hakyeon had to guess, the reason behind it couldn’t be a good one.

Pushing out a quiet sigh, taking care to be sure his breath didn’t disturb Ravi; Hakyeon contemplated whether or not he could free his arm from under Ravi’s head without disturbing him. He was hungry for breakfast and still needed to make sure Roxy hadn’t destroyed his bed while he had spent the night in Ravi’s room.

Shifting strategically, Hakyeon slowly worked his arm free from under Ravi’s head, replacing it with one of the many pillows spread across the head of the bed. Ravi stirred as the mattress stopped dipping under Hakyeon’s added weight, his eyelids fluttering open slightly as he looked blearily out at Hakyeon.

“Hm?” Ravi mumbled, barely coherent.

Hakyeon found himself smiling fondly and reached over to pull the blankets up a little further and whispered a quiet command for Ravi to go back to sleep. Ravi, not needing to be told twice apparently, dropped his head back onto the pillow and burrowed deeper into the warmth of his silken sheets, asleep once more.

Shaking his head in wonder at Ravi’s ability to sleep so deeply, Hakyeon turned and quietly made his way from the room. Closing the door with the barest of clicks, Hakyeon covered a yawn as he walked the short distance back to his own chambers.

Roxy, who apparently had become so impatient with Hakyeon’s absence, leapt at him the moment the door was open, yipping in indignation. Hakyeon stooped to pick her up, scratching behind Roxy’s ears as he apologized through soft laughter to the restless pup. A quick glance around his room proved that Roxy had not destroyed anything; the only sign of her presence a slightly mussed up spot on the otherwise immaculately made bed where she had clearly curled up at some point in the night.

Setting the pup down on the ground, Hakyeon headed back out of his room, intent on meeting up with Hongbin in the library. Roxy trotted along behind him, keeping close to his heels as they wove their way through the halls of the palace.

It was as Hakyeon was rounding a corner, glancing down fondly at Roxy while he did, that he slammed into a solid chest. Stumbling back a couple steps, Roxy yipped from the floor and jumped at whoever it was Hakyeon had collided with.

“Sorry,” Taekwoon’s soft voice murmured as Hakyeon looked up at the spirit. Roxy was pawing at Taekwoon’s feet happily when he bent to scoop her into his hands. She happily licked at Taekwoon’s face, squirming to get closer to him as well.

“That’s alright,” Hakyeon said easily. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Glancing behind him for a moment, Hakyeon was surprised to find Taekwoon smiling happily at Roxy as she continued to try and assault his face with kisses. Hakyeon wasn’t sure he had ever seen Taekwoon smile before, at least not this easily. It left a warm feeling fluttering in Hakyeon’s chest.

“I-I’m heading to the library for a little while. If you want, you can come, or I can leave Roxy with you for a while.”

Taekwoon looked slightly startled at the offer, holding Roxy a little closer to his chest as he focused on Hakyeon’s expression.

“Are you sure?” Taekwoon asked softly.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” Hakyeon chuckled, flashing Taekwoon a little grin, attempting to ease the spirit’s apprehension. It seemed to do the trick as Hakyeon watched Taekwoon’s shoulders settle and his expression ease into something fond as he looked down to Roxy once more.

Hakyeon found himself staring at Taekwoon, a habit he appeared to be forming whenever he was in the other’s presence.

“I would love to join you,” Taekwoon eventually answered in his soft voice. “I haven’t yet seen the library, so it would be something nice and new to experience.”

Hakyeon nodded, flashing his own brief smile in Taekwoon’s direction before gesturing for the spirit to follow him through the maze of corridors. Normally, Roxy would be eager to bounce around on Hakyeon’s walks throughout the palace, but this time she seemed to be perfectly content with remaining nuzzled into Taekwoon’s chest as he carried her.

There was absolutely not a spark of jealousy in Hakyeon’s chest at how affectionate Roxy was being. There also may or may not have been a warm, confused fluttering in Hakyeon’s stomach when he glanced back and took in the adorable sight.

A few twists and turns later saw Hakyeon shoving open the ornate doors of the palace’s library, revealing the towering shelves of literature to Taekwoon. Said spirit tipped his head back to stare in awe at the massive collection, turning in a slow circle to try and take it all in. As he completed his circle, Taekwoon bent down to let Roxy scamper off as he kept staring at the books.

“There are so many,” Taekwoon murmured eventually, clearly still awestruck.

Nodding, Hakyeon chuckled and made his way over to a pile of books he had stacked over his weeks of perusing the shelves. They were all novels he had taken some spark of interest in but had yet to actually read. Shifting through the pile, Hakyeon chose one that caught his eye and sat comfortably in a nearby chair.

“Hongbin and I have found ourselves quite preoccupied with finding good books in here. There are…nine different languages we have found so far, I believe the count is up to? It might be ten at this point, I’m not sure anymore. Anyway, feel free to take your pick.”

Taekwoon nodded silently and wandered off towards the shelves, Hakyeon watched subtly from over the top of his book. The spirit reverently ran his pale, nimble fingers along the lip of a shelf, walking slowly as he scanned the spines of the assembled books. It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually Taekwoon plucked a book free and found his way back to where Hakyeon was sitting.

Quickly pretending that he had been reading the whole time and not admiring Taekwoon’s expression and stature from afar, Hakyeon ducked into his novel and actually tried to start reading it seriously. It was a little hard to do so, however, when Taekwoon’s presence in the chair beside him was like a gentle flame in a growing fire. He was warm, quiet save for the soft rustle of a turning page every now and then, comfortable, and entirely unable to be ignored.

Eventually, Hakyeon was able to focus on his chosen story and found that he was enjoying the plot far more than he had expected to. Once he actually had found his attention captured, it took Taekwoon cautiously tapping his shoulder a few times to regain his attention. Glancing up in surprise, Hakyeon merely blinked at Taekwoon sitting beside him, waiting for the spirit to speak first.

“A servant just called us for dinner,” Taekwoon murmured.

Blinking again, Hakyeon glanced around as if looking for some sort of indicator that time had passed when he already knew one did not exist. Pushing out a sigh, he marked his page and set the book aside next to his pile. Belatedly, Hakyeon realized his muscles were rather stiff from sitting in one spot for so long. Grunting with the sudden movement against his prolonged inertia, Hakyeon’s joints popped satisfyingly before he made to follow Taekwoon out of the library.

Once they arrived at the dining room, Hakyeon was surprised to find only Ravi at the table. He had assumed that since the servant summoned both himself and Taekwoon, that meant the other three would be present as well. But the table was only set for three people, and it appeared all the anticipated occupants were present. Sliding into his seat, Hakyeon acknowledged Ravi at the other end of the table with a respectful bow of his head. Taekwoon did the same before sitting in his place.

“Did you sleep well, My Lord?” Hakyeon asked as the servants set the dishes in front of them. It was no longer surprising to Hakyeon that he was so easily able to strike up conversation with Ravi. They had somehow grown used to each other to a degree through their shared time in the palace.

“I did, thank you,” Ravi answered, a small but genuine smile gracing his features. “I trust you did, as well?”

“Surprisingly, My Lord, I did,” Hakyeon answered, taking a bite of his meal before returning Ravi’s tiny smile. It seemed to make Ravi’s cheeks turn a little pink, but nothing else was said as they all turned their focus to the plates before them.

The lapse in conversation was pleasant and not uncomfortable. There was warmth to the room that reminded Hakyeon of home; and he was surprised to find that it did not make him sink into the normal well of despondence as thoughts of home so often did. Instead, he merely felt content.

“I wanted to have both of you here to dinner for a reason,” Ravi spoke up finally, pulling Hakyeon’s attention back to the table. “But first, understand that neither of you are in trouble, in case you thought you were.”

Hakyeon and Taekwoon exchanged glances before they both looked back to Ravi curiously.

“I am aware that the other three spirits seem to be settling in comfortably, and have all to some degree spoken with Hakyeon about things on their minds that might be burdening them. I am glad that it is possible for Hakyeon to have company among them, as I am not always able to be there to do so.”

Hakyeon felt himself flush a little, though he was not sure why.

“Despite that, I also am aware that you have not exactly been communicating with either Hakyeon or any of the other spirits all that much in the weeks you have been here. I do not want to seem like I am rushing you to open up to them or push you to be friendly, but I am curious to know if any of them make you uncomfortable or scared in any way. I don’t want you to feel unsafe here, Taekwoon.”

Ravi’s words seemed to startle Taekwoon, as the spirit merely sat and stared at the Lord of Death for a few heartbeats before he even opened his mouth.

“I-It’s not that, Lord Ravi,” Taekwoon muttered shyly, fingers picking at one another nervously. “I’m just not very good at talking to other people.”

“He has actually been interacting with me a little more, Lord Ravi,” Hakyeon stepped in quickly, if only to spare Taekwoon from feeling overwhelmed by the attention. “I learned that he plays piano beautifully.”

Taekwoon seemed to flush even darker and mumbled something that sounded like confirmation of that when Ravi asked if it was true. Hakyeon also did not miss the soft, amused look that passed over Ravi’s face when he regarded Taekwoon’s embarrassed flush. It made Hakyeon curious, but he merely decided to just see how this would unfold for now.

“If you would like a piano, I can make sure there is one somewhere it would be convenient for you to access and play comfortably,” Ravi pressed gently. “You need only ask.”

Taekwoon looked up at that, eyes a little wider at the gesture Ravi had presented him with. He was quiet for another few heartbeats before Taekwoon gave a miniscule nod, blushing a deep pink and staring intently at his hands where they sat in his lap.

“I would like that very much Lord Ravi,” he said in his soft voice, the note of gratitude louder than Taekwoon ever was. Hakyeon glanced to see Ravi’s reaction and ended up sharing a fond smile with him instead.

“Then I will arrange for a piano to be placed anywhere you like,” Ravi nodded before returning to his meal. Hakyeon smiled warmly at Taekwoon when the spirit glanced up at him before they also returned their attention to their plates. It dawned on Hakyeon as he took a bite of his meal, that he had been smiling more and more frequently again. It still felt a little foreign on his lips after so long doing the exact opposite, but he found himself glad that he could have a reason to smile again.

* * *

Hakyeon found himself wandering aimlessly about the palace, his steps dragging a little with exhaustion. He hadn’t been able to fall back asleep since the normal nightmare had disrupted his slumber. Each time that dream came back, Hakyeon could swear that it became more and more vivid. He was beginning to think that the nightmare he kept having only occurred in tandem with Ravi’s. How else would they have been having the same horrific vision?

Running a tired hand down his face, Hakyeon blinked sleepily and looked around him, trying to figure out where his wandering had taken him. Startled, Hakyeon found himself near Ravi’s hidden study at the very back of the palace.

“Why do I always end up here?” Hakyeon muttered to himself as he walked closer to the lone wooden door near the end of the open corridor. Deciding he was just going to sit in there for a while to try and calm his thoughts, Hakyeon was surprised to hear the soft chords of the battered piano echoing quietly from behind the door.

Knocking softly before he poked his head inside, Hakyeon expected to find Taekwoon sitting at the bench. So he was yet again surprised to find none other than Ravi himself turning to look at Hakyeon.

“My Lord?” Hakyeon asked. “I didn’t know you could play piano.”

Ravi gestured for Hakyeon to join him at the piano, which he did easily. Something about Ravi’s presence was much more comforting than it had been when Hakyeon had arrived two months ago. He wasn’t sure what had changed, but he also wasn’t about to question it either.

“I learned a few centuries ago when I spent some time travelling around Europe. I’m a bit rusty, but Taekwoon has been re-teaching me some of the basics since he got that piano a week ago. I’m glad that it’s coming fairly easy to me. It would be troublesome to learn everything all over again.”

Hakyeon found himself leaning a little against Ravi’s shoulder, taking comfort in the mild warmth that radiated from him. He hummed in acknowledgement of Ravi’s statement, his own fingers brushing airily and reverently across the worn keys. He pressed down gently, playing a sweet, high-pitched four note tune before turning to look at Ravi.

“Is this piano from that time? It certainly has seen better days in terms of appearance.”

Ravi chuckled to himself and copied the tune Hakyeon had just played in a lower key. “It is, actually. This is the piano I learned to play on, and for some reason I was just sentimental enough to keep it. I never could bring myself to replace it.”

Hakyeon smiled to himself and sighed softly, resting his head gingerly against Ravi’s shoulder. He was beginning to grow tired again, his eyes struggling to stay open the longer he sat with Ravi.

“I had that nightmare again,” Ravi’s voice murmured, vibrating distantly against Hakyeon’s skin where he lay against Ravi’s shoulder. “I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I came here to play for a while, hoping it would help.”

“Did it?” Hakyeon whispered, voice heavy with fatigue.

“A little,” Ravi hummed. “But I think you coming to sit with me here calmed me more than the music did.”

“Me too,” Hakyeon yawned, not really thinking about what he was saying. Hakyeon was painfully honest when he was tired, but this time around, he didn’t really think it was anything bad.

“Shall we go back to bed then?” Ravi murmured, a hint of a smile in his tone as he shifted to get up, a slender hand coming to support Hakyeon at his lower back. Hakyeon drew in a sharp breath at the pleasant warmth that spread from Ravi’s gentle touch. Hakyeon nodded in acknowledgement though, allowing Ravi to help him to his feet; that warm hand never once leaving his back. Hakyeon felt half awake as Ravi led the both of them through the corridors back towards the bedrooms.

Ravi stopped at Hakyeon’s bedroom, helping him back into bed easily. Tucking the blankets around Hakyeon, Ravi sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Hakyeon with fondness in his eyes. Roxy, at the end of the bed, made a noise of displeasure at being interrupted before she came to curl up next to Hakyeon’s head on one of his pillows. Her little body was somehow warm against Hakyeon’s hair.

Hakyeon heard Ravi’s soft, warm chuckle above him as his eyes started to flutter shut with exhaustion. He forced his eyes back open again and looked up at Ravi as the man started to stand up to leave.

“Good night, Ravi,” Hakyeon yawned, his voice soft with fatigue.

Ravi paused above him before leaning down to very carefully brush Hakyeon’s hair out of his face. His fingers were cool against Hakyeon’s skin, sending a little shiver through Hakyeon. There was something in his expression that Hakyeon couldn’t quite read through the sleepy haze starting to drag him into unconsciousness, but he knew it was something good.

“Good night, Hakyeon,” Ravi whispered, his quiet voice the thing that sent Hakyeon off to sleep.

* * *

“…and then he showed me this _entire_ shelf full of fantasy novels that he’s collected from over two centuries! I didn’t even know there were this many fantasy books in the whole world!” Hongbin bounced excitedly on his toes as he whirled to face Hyuk and Hakyeon. His eyes were gleaming with delight and his pile of ladened books wobbled precariously with his movements.

“I’m glad that you and Lord Ravi have found a common interest,” Hakyeon chuckled fondly. “You certainly seem to have found quite the collection of potential books to read.”

Hongbin nodded happily and went back to perusing the shelves for more books. Hyuk heaved a quiet sigh and trailed after Hongbin, reaching into the shelves for the books that Hongbin pointed out so he wouldn’t have to pile any more onto his already towering selection.

“Hongbin,” Hyuk eventually interjected. “You know that these books aren’t going anywhere, right? You don’t have to pick them all out right now.”

Hakyeon smiled fondly from where he was leaning against a shelf at the look Hongbin gave Hyuk. He did, however, concede that he had enough books for the time being and carried them down to where Hakyeon had his own pile on a table near the large fireplace in the library. Trailing after them, Hakyeon picked up the novel he was currently in the middle of and sat next to Hongbin and Hyuk near the roaring blue flames.

The blue flames were something that Hakyeon found extremely interesting. He had found a book on chemistry and discovered that blue flames were the hottest kind. It made sense to him that the hottest flame would be the only kind in the Underworld. But he had never seen blue flames before, since his aunt Hestia’s hearth on Olympus only held the soft, warm orange and yellow flames. He had always taken great comfort sitting with her near the hearth, but there was something about these blue flames that were also quite welcoming.

“Lord Ravi said that this was one of his favorites,” Hongbin’s eager explanation to Hyuk drew Hakyeon out of his thoughts. “He said it’s about this prince who befriends a servant boy in the palace when he’s trying to avoid the princesses the queen wants him to court. He wouldn’t tell me how it ends though, so I have to read it for myself.”

Hyuk was nodding along to Hongbin’s words, sifting through the pile of books to find one that he might want to read. Hakyeon was glad that Ravi had started to interact with the adopted spirits as well. He didn’t want to be the only one to do so, seeing as he wouldn’t be here in about three weeks. Hakyeon wanted them all to feel comfortable with Ravi, the way they were all steadily becoming comfortable around him.

Hakyeon had noticed that Ravi and Taekwoon spent almost every other day practicing the piano together since Taekwoon got his piano two weeks ago. He had stumbled upon them one time, sitting side by side at the piano that Ravi had acquired for Taekwoon in the common study. Ravi’s old piano was still only for his use in his personal study. However, watching them play an intricate, lilting classical piece together on that grand, new piano had Hakyeon staying to listen. It was fascinating to watch the way their arms would sometimes intertwine over the keys, the movement fluid and practiced and never throwing the other off. It was almost like they had grown up playing on the same piano together.

Hongbin had clearly taken to Ravi’s literary side, the two of them happily wandering through the library together for hours as Ravi finally divulged the organization system of the shelves that Hakyeon and Hongbin had been unable to figure out on their own.

Hyuk was surprisingly very interested in Ravi’s palace garden and how certain things grew and why other plants from the surface didn’t. Hakyeon had been wandering through the garden paths last week when he found the two of them crouched down by the base of a pomegranate tree. Ravi had been explaining to Hyuk why the trees were there in the first place and how they continuously bore fruit and never perished even if neglected for decades. Hyuk had apparently always wanted a garden when he was alive, because he used to help his mother in their garden before everything happened. To Hyuk, a garden meant home.

As for Jaehwan, he seemed to almost be avoiding Ravi. Hakyeon would sometimes see him around Hyuk and Hongbin, looking completely at ease with them. He would sometimes sit with Hakyeon in the library or in the garden and just quietly be there, but Hakyeon had yet to see or hear of any interaction Jaehwan may have had with the Lord of Death.

It was then that Hakyeon remembered that he had never actually asked Ravi for the favor he had wanted. He had gone to ask the night that he found Ravi tangled in his bed sheets on the floor, so the thought had slipped his mind. Quickly standing up from where he was next to Hongbin and Hyuk, Hakyeon excused himself and walked briskly from the library. Ducking into the throne room without introduction, Hakyeon found Ravi sitting in his throne, looking over a stack of parchment paper with a tired slouch to his shoulders and heavy eyelids.

Ravi’s gaze sluggishly shifted from the words in front of him to Hakyeon approaching his throne, the click of his shoes giving him away as usual. A little smile tugged at the corners of Ravi’s mouth, prompting Hakyeon to return the gesture. Stepping easily up the raised portion of marble, Hakyeon slid into his throne beside Ravi’s, sitting on the edge of the seat so he could lean closer to the king.

“Are you alright, My Lord? You look exhausted,” Hakyeon spoke quietly, his brow furrowing with concern.

Ravi straightened up in his throne, shifting his papers to the side as he tried to smile reassuringly. A soft, not entirely convincing, “I’m alright,” left his lips before Hakyeon could say more.

“Did you need something?” Ravi asked, prompting Hakyeon to remember why he had come here in the first place.

“Yes, I was hoping to ask a favor of you,” Hakyeon said, avoiding Ravi’s gaze suddenly. He wasn’t sure he was owed a favor, especially with the way he had acted upon his arrival, but he had to try.

“Hakyeon,” Ravi’s voice was soft, and the use of his name when they were usually so impersonal with each other startled Hakyeon into looking up again. “I would do anything you asked of me.”

Flushing unexpectedly, Hakyeon nodded mutely and tried to gather himself before speaking again. The way Ravi had spoken; the soft expression and the look in his eyes had completely thrown Hakyeon for a loop.

“I was hoping – well I’m not sure if you can even do this – but I was curious as to whether or not you would be able to find out anything about Jaehwan’s younger siblings.” Ravi’s expression told Hakyeon that this was nowhere near what he had been expecting Hakyeon to ask, so he tried to explain himself.

“It was a couple weeks ago, we were in the gardens and Hyuk and Jaehwan ended up talking about their lives with me. Jaehwan told us about his siblings and how he protected them before he was killed, but he obviously doesn’t know what happened to them after that. I think it’s really getting to him more than he is willing to let on. I wasn’t sure if you would be able to check on them and see if they are at least safe?”

Hakyeon ran his thumb back and forth over one of the raised details on the armrest of his throne. His nerves were twisted into a bunch, not sure how Ravi would react to his request. So he was surprised when Ravi smiled at him and reached over to lay his hand overtop of Hakyeon’s, effectively stilling his anxious fiddling. His gloved hands were warm against Hakyeon’s skin, calming him.

“You’re so kind, Hakyeon,” Ravi murmured, gaze searching Hakyeon’s. “You’re so thoughtful and gentle with the others, and I’m grateful for that.”

Staring openly at Ravi, Hakyeon couldn’t seem to get his mouth to close, let alone to form a response to such a statement. It left him feeling flushed and almost buzzed.

“I will, for you and for Jaehwan,” Ravi’s deep voice broke Hakyeon from his spell. “I’ll make sure they’re safe.”

“You will?” Hakyeon asked breathlessly. At Ravi’s nod, Hakyeon’s face split into a grin. “Thank you so much. I’m sure Jaehwan will be glad to hear of his siblings.”

“I can go later today,” Ravi promised, glancing over at the papers he had set aside earlier. “Once I finish with this, I can spare some time to grant your request. And Hakyeon?” Ravi called as the prince stood to leave Ravi to his work.

“Yes?” Hakyeon twisted back around to look at Ravi.

“Would you like anything from the surface while I’m there?”

“Oh…” Hakyeon breathed, a thousand things he had left behind flashing through his mind’s eye. He longed for many things that he could not have down here, but there was one thing in particular that stood at the forefront of his thoughts. Smiling, Hakyeon nodded to Ravi and spoke softly.

“If you could bring me more flowers, I would greatly appreciate them.”

Ravi was smiling when he replied, “As you wish.”

* * *

It was later that evening, after dinner, that Ravi pulled Hakyeon and Jaehwan aside. The spirits were more willing to join Ravi for a meal when he requested it of them, now that they had each grown more familiar with him. It was such a large contrast, Hakyeon noticed, to that first dinner the six of them had had together when it was tense and quiet, the air quivering like a taut bowstring around them. But tonight had been easy and calm, and they had somehow managed to make everyone laugh at least once during the course of the meal. Now, as the servants cleared off the table, Hyuk and Hongbin were tussling lightly with each other as they scampered from the dining room, Taekwoon following them out, no doubt heading for his piano.

“Jaehwan,” Ravi spoke quietly. “I have some news for you.”

Looking confused and guarded, Jaehwan narrowed his eyes at Ravi and waited quietly for the king to continue.

“I went to the surface world earlier today and tracked down your younger siblings,” Ravi said, Jaehwan’s eyes widening despite himself as Hakyeon heard the spirit’s breath audibly hitch.

“They’re both alive and well, and they’re still living with that friend of yours. She’s looking after them and they all miss you very much. Also, I found something about your parents while I was there,” Ravi’s eyes glinted and he gave Jaehwan a little grin. “Your father was arrested the morning after your death and charged for it. He’s in jail now, and your mother was charged as an accomplice and is under house arrest.”

Jaehwan’s hands were covering his mouth in shock; tears glistening unshed in his eyes as he stared at Ravi with a mixture of emotions flashing across his face. He looked like he was about to say something, but Ravi held up a gloved hand to stop him.

“There’s one more thing. I discovered that your friend and siblings gave you a proper funeral after the police found your body. If you wish it, because your soul was properly laid to rest, unlike the others, I can send you to Elysium. What you did was truly worthy of being placed among the heroes.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened as he glanced between Ravi and Jaehwan. He hadn’t expected Ravi to offer such a thing, and he wasn’t sure how Jaehwan would respond in kind. Being placed in Elysium also meant that Jaehwan would have the option of being reborn into another life to try and achieve Elysium again.

He could have a second chance at a better life and forget all of the horrid memories from this past life. It was a heavy offer, one not afforded to all.

Jaehwan was silent for a long handful of moments, simply staring at Ravi in what could only be described as shock. Hakyeon eventually grew concerned by his lack of response and laid a gentle hand on the spirit’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Jaehwan whispered a moment after Hakyeon touched his shoulder. “Thank you so much for going to find them. You don’t know what that means to me. As for Elysium…I think I would rather stay here. It may not be paradise, but I don’t want to leave anyone behind here. Besides, I also don’t want to forget about my siblings.”

Ravi’s smile was soft as he nodded to Jaehwan. “Then you may stay and be on your way. If you ever want to know more about how your siblings are, just come ask me.”

“Really?” Jaehwan asked almost breathlessly. When Ravi nodded, Jaehwan’s face broke into the largest grin Hakyeon had ever seen as he thanked Ravi again before bowing his head and rushing off. Hakyeon watched him go fondly, knowing that he was most likely off in search of the younger two spirits.

“Hakyeon?” Ravi’s deep voice drew his attention back to the king. Before Hakyeon could open his mouth to reply, Ravi was producing a lavish bouquet of flowers from thin air, holding them out towards Hakyeon. He looked a little bashful, small high spots of color on Ravi’s cheeks as he averted his gaze from the prince. Ravi’s gloved hand was shaking slightly as he held the flowers in the space between them.

“Oh,” Hakyeon breathed, almost having forgotten that he asked Ravi to get him flowers during his trip. Stepping closer, Hakyeon reverently slid both of his hands around the bundled stems just above where Ravi was holding them. Ducking his nose into the bushel, Hakyeon breathed in their combined scents deeply, relishing in the fresh, alive scent of them. The waxy petals of the numerous crimson roses tickled Hakyeon’s nose, their scent sharp and rich. Mixed within the roses were delicate stems of baby’s breath, looking like lace among the deep red and smelling faintly sweet. Clearly, though, Ravi had remembered Hakyeon’s comment about sunflowers being his favorite because nestled snugly into the middle of the bouquet were half a dozen miniature sunflowers, bright and cheery and proud. Reverently, Hakyeon rubbed one of the waxy yellow petals between his fingers before looking back up at Ravi.

“These are beautiful,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”

Ravi gave a curt nod; his cheeks still pink and his gaze still averted. Hakyeon wondered if Ravi’s heart was jumping in his chest the same way it was in his. Slowly, Hakyeon traced one of his hands down the stems of the bouquet and placed it over Ravi’s.

“Thank you,” Hakyeon said empathetically, his eyes fixed on Ravi’s when the king’s gaze shot to Hakyeon’s at the touch.

“Of course,” Ravi’s voice was soft, and they stood there together for a moment before Ravi gently pulled his hand away from the bouquet and Hakyeon’s touch.

“I must return to my work,” Ravi murmured, glancing sideways and clearly trying to compose himself.

“Forgive me, if I’m overstepping my bounds,” Hakyeon spoke quickly. “But you look exhausted. Couldn’t you rest and attend to those matters tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid it can’t wait,” Ravi sighed wearily, his shoulders sagging with the weight of fatigue that Hakyeon was seeing more and more frequently. “But thank you for your concern.”

Ravi spared Hakyeon another small smile before he excused himself from the dining room, leaving Hakyeon feeling worried and clutching a bouquet of vibrant flora.

At least his heart had settled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, but I wanted to thank everyone for sticking with me until this point. I'm not quite sure how many chapters are left here, but it's at least two. Thank you for all of your lovely comments as I love hearing from you all. I'm trying to set aside time to actually interact with you all more, so thank you again. Please enjoy!

Hakyeon sat perched on the edge of his bed, the silken sheets rumpled underneath his weight in delicate folds. Roxy sat beside him, pawing at his fingers as he offered them to her to play with. Her little spirit body pounced on his hand before she started nipping playfully at his pinkie. Smiling, Hakyeon used his free hand to stroke through the fur on her back.

As much as Hakyeon loved the week old, slightly wilted flowers beside his bed, Roxy was his favorite gift from Ravi so far. The flora was always welcome, smelling sweet and giving Hakyeon something to remember from home, but Roxy was as alive as a deceased pup could be, and she was playful and young and would remain that way for eternity. Plus, the other spirits adored her, so Hakyeon always found himself bonding with them, as they would play with her.

Taekwoon especially seemed to have a great love for little animals, and he had divulged to Hakyeon the other day that he used to own a cat when he was younger. Taekwoon intrigued Hakyeon, he was somehow fond of his presence, despite whether he spoke or not. He still didn’t know what had happened to Taekwoon, but Hakyeon was patient, and he wouldn’t push.

A knock sounded at Hakyeon’s door, Roxy yipping in response before Hakyeon called for whomever it was to come inside. A servant opened the door and informed Hakyeon that dinner was ready and his presence had been requested. Scratching Roxy behind her ears, Hakyeon promised her playfully that he would be back after his meal, before standing to follow the servant out.

Upon his arrival to the dining room, Hakyeon was startled to see that Ravi looked almost half asleep in his chair at the other end of the dining table. Normally he looked more alert, but over the past couple weeks, Hakyeon had noticed that Ravi seemed to be more and more listless as the days passed. He had tried many times to ask after the King’s state, but Ravi always dismissed his worries with a little smile and a wave of his hand.

“My Lord?” Hakyeon questioned softly, moving past his own chair to approach Ravi’s. “Are you alright?”

“Hakyeon,” Ravi startled a bit, voice hoarse and surprising Hakyeon with how rough it sounded. “I’m fine, I just didn’t hear you come in.”

That alarmed Hakyeon immensely. His shoes had clicked as loudly as always against the polished marble, the noise a constant harbinger of someone approaching. If Ravi had not heard him, that meant he was very much out of it.

Before Hakyeon could voice his protest, the other spirits came bustling in and the servants started to carry in platters of food; so Hakyeon retreated to his seat with a concerned glance cast over his shoulder as he went. The other spirits’ chatter was calming, soothing some of the tension from Hakyeon’s shoulders as he sat down in his own chair opposite Ravi. Hyuk was chattering loudly to Taekwoon about something, the older of the two looking amused at whatever it was Hyuk was animatedly discussing. Hongbin and Jaehwan were surprisingly quieter, discussing a novel that Hongbin had sitting beside him, gesturing to it every now and again.

Hakyeon was content to observe the comfortable chaos sprawled out before him, feeling warm and safe, like he was among family. But it was because of his observations that Hakyeon noticed the moment Ravi quietly tried to stand up from his chair. He was about to call out to Ravi, inquire if he was all right, when Ravi’s limbs seemed to compact and he collapsed to the floor abruptly.

“Ravi?” Hakyeon pushed his chair back, alarm coursing through him so suddenly it left him feeling numb. Distantly, Hakyeon was aware of the chatter of the other spirits falling away into silence, but he was focused on Ravi’s prone form sprawled beside the dining table.

“Ravi!” Collapsing to his knees beside the king, Hakyeon’s hands shook Ravi’s shoulders jerkily. “Ravi, wake up!”

“What happened?” Hyuk’s voice was quiet and scared from behind Hakyeon, but he found himself unable to focus on anything except for Ravi in front of him. Taekwoon’s hands were suddenly in Hakyeon’s field of vision, carefully rolling Ravi onto his back and patting at Ravi’s cheeks. Hakyeon felt dizzy watching Taekwoon trying to wake Ravi up, so completely out of his own body and mind that it took Taekwoon’s hand cupping Hakyeon’s face for him to snap back into reality again.

“Hakyeon!” Taekwoon’s voice was raised, still not loud and abrasive, still soft, but louder in volume than Hakyeon had ever heard it. He blinked owlishly at Taekwoon and was shocked to feel wetness on his cheeks, being smeared by Taekwoon’s fingers there.

“I—I’m sorry,” Hakyeon murmured. Taekwoon’s gaze was soft and his voice lowered in volume again.

“You’re the only other god in the room, Hakyeon,” Taekwoon calmly reminded him. “Do you know what’s happening right now?”

“W—We…” Hakyeon stopped and took a deep breath before he could speak again. “We, as gods, still require sleep and sometimes food. I don’t think…I don’t think he’s been sleeping.”

Taekwoon nodded, his gaze and presence calm and grounding. “So he’s just exhausted. This is something we can deal with. Jaehwan, help me.”

Hakyeon glanced back at the other spirits, catching a glimpse of Jaehwan removing his arm from around Hyuk’s shoulders as he moved to help Taekwoon lift Ravi between them. Hongbin took Jaehwan’s place in comforting Hyuk, the two youngest spirits looking rattled. Hakyeon managed to stand on shaky feet and watched Taekwoon and Jaehwan carry Ravi from the dining room. Hyuk and Hongbin were suddenly on either side of him, comforting him quietly.

“I…I should go look after him,” Hakyeon said softly. Hyuk and Hongbin exchanged nervous looks, probably wondering if Hakyeon was capable of looking after Ravi, but they didn’t stop him. He hugged each of them firmly before briskly walking in the direction of Ravi’s bedroom. He caught up with Taekwoon and Jaehwan just before the majestic double doors to Ravi’s room.

“Jaehwan,” Hakyeon called, stopping the spirits. “I’ll take him with Taekwoon. I think Hyuk and Hongbin need you right now.”

Switching places with Hakyeon easily, Jaehwan offered Hakyeon a quick, comforting smile before dashing off down the corridor back towards Hyuk and Hongbin. Taekwoon let Hakyeon reach out to open the door in front of them before they maneuvered Ravi through the doorway and headed towards the bed on the other side of the large room.

“Do you know why he hasn’t been sleeping?” Taekwoon’s soft voice reached Hakyeon’s ears as they carefully eased Ravi’s unconscious form onto the bed. Hakyeon moved, cupping Ravi’s head gently in his hands as Taekwoon maneuvered Ravi’s legs up onto the mattress.

“I have a hunch,” Hakyeon admitted, laying Ravi’s head gently onto one of the pillows. He reached out and indulgently brushed Ravi’s messy silver hair from his forehead, fingers pressing against the clammy skin of Ravi’s brow to test his temperature.

“But it is not my place to share it,” he admitted quietly, concern mounting at the heat radiating from Ravi’s brow. “For now, I’ll take care of him.”

Taekwoon seemed to hesitate for a moment before he stood from where he had sat at Ravi’s feet. He took a few steps closer to Hakyeon, prompting the prince to look up at the spirit. Taekwoon’s nimble fingers reached out and combed once through Hakyeon’s hair gently, surprising him.

“Make sure you rest, too,” Taekwoon reminded him softly. “Or you’ll most likely end up like him.”

“I will,” Hakyeon promised softly. “Take care of myself, that is.”

Taekwoon smiled a little, his plush lips curling up just slightly at the corners and his eyes crinkling in a minuscule way at the corners as he nodded. Hakyeon watched him leave, Taekwoon shutting the door quietly behind himself.

Turning back to face Ravi, Hakyeon stared down at the king’s sleeping face, wondering if his hunch about Ravi’s lack of sleep was correct or not. If it was, Hakyeon didn’t know what he was going to do or how he was going to approach the situation.

Sighing heavily, Hakyeon reached up and found himself indulging once more in the urge to comb his fingers through Ravi’s hair yet again. The silver strands were soft and fine, feeling warm against his fingers. He released the little strands, watching them fall back into place and blend perfectly in with the rest. Tracing his fingers down the outline of Ravi’s face, Hakyeon’s dusky colored fingers trailed feather light along the subtle curve of Ravi’s cheekbone before wandering down the slope of Ravi’s jaw.

Feeling warmth tingle at his fingertips, Hakyeon felt the pulse of fondness and warmth that was becoming more and more common in his chest whenever he interacted with Ravi. Taking a risk, Hakyeon gently pressed his open palm against Ravi’s heated cheek.

“What have you done to my heart?” Hakyeon whispered, wondering to himself when he started having feelings for Ravi. Giving himself another few moments to indulge, Hakyeon had to force himself to pull away so he could gently persuade Ravi’s tunic off of his torso. The task was simpler than he anticipated, the tunic loose and easily removable. Hakyeon tried very hard to tamp down his concern at the fact that Ravi didn’t so much as stir during any of the jostling to his body as Hakyeon removed his shirt.

A few moments later, Hakyeon had filled up a small bowl from the bathroom in Ravi’s chambers with warm water and placed it near the bed. Soaking a small bundle of cloth, Hakyeon pushed the sleeves of his tunic up to his elbows before methodically ringing out the excess water. Scooting closer to where Hakyeon had laid Ravi out on the bed, he gently started wiping the damp cloth over Ravi’s clammy skin, tracing gently along his cheekbones before moving towards his forehead. Using his free hand, Hakyeon carefully brushed Ravi’s silver bangs away from his face so he could place the cloth there in an attempt to cool the rapidly climbing fever.

While Hakyeon left the cloth to sit there, he moved down the bed to tug the silken sheets higher around Ravi’s chest, not covering him completely in case he got too hot.

Settling down beside Ravi’s bed, Hakyeon sighed and absently played with the fingers of the king’s hand, eventually intertwining them with his own. Smiling dimly, he admired the dusky color of his own skin intertwined with Ravi’s paler complexion against the sheets. Giving Ravi’s hand a little squeeze, Hakyeon placed his head down on the bed beside Ravi’s hip and allowed his eyes to flutter shut. Exhaustion weighed heavy in his limbs from the worry and exertion of tending to his king.

All Hakyeon could hope for was that Ravi would be awake soon so he could get a better gauge on just how bad things were. He also wanted to know why he was feeling so attached, the worry plaguing his mind unsettling Hakyeon immensely. There was a tug in his chest, pulling at his heart with emotions Hakyeon never thought he could feel.

“Please wake up,” Hakyeon murmured against the silken sheets under his cheek, exhaustion carrying him away from consciousness.

* * *

Hakyeon awoke to gentle fingers combing through his hair, tugging with the utmost care through the stray knots of his bed head. Blinking lethargically, Hakyeon hummed sleepily in the back of his throat and lifted his head to see who it was behind the comforting ministration. His eyes felt sticky with sleep, but he managed to blink himself into awareness enough to register the fond, sleepy smile on Ravi’s face.

“Ravi!” Hakyeon gasped, his voice rough with sleep as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed to get closer to the king. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Ravi’s nose wrinkled as he frowned a little, his expression aware but seeming just slightly out of focus from the exhaustion weighing him down. Hakyeon, realizing that their fingers were still entwined on the bed, gave Ravi’s hand a gentle squeeze to keep him present. He waited patiently for Ravi to process his question.

“Heavy,” Ravi eventually croaked out. “What happened?”

“You collapsed at dinner the other night,” Hakyeon explained, his voice soft as his thumb ran over the dips of Ravi’s knuckles. “We were all so worried, especially when we couldn’t wake you up. Why haven’t you been taking care of yourself?”

Ravi’s expression seemed to clear of the confusion that had been there, his furrowed brow smoothing out as he heaved out a sigh.

“It’s not that I meant to,” he confessed, gaze travelling down to their intertwined hands and twitching his fingers against Hakyeon’s. “But sleep does not come easy to me since that nightmare has been plaguing me. It’s hard to convince myself to sleep when I know it waits for me, so I’ve been working and wandering and playing the piano to distract myself.”

Hakyeon sighed, his shoulders slumping a little as he looked down at their hands. Giving Ravi’s hand another squeeze and moving his other to place it overtop of their intertwined digits, Hakyeon tried to find his thoughts. He wanted to tell Ravi about what he was feeling, how he was confused about what to do with those feelings.

“What is it?” Ravi’s voice spoke softly, lifting Hakyeon’s gaze back to meet his. “You seem troubled. Did I scare you that much?”

“No,” Hakyeon was quick to reassure the king. “Well, I mean yes, but now that you’re awake that’s not the source of my troubles. It’s just that…”

Sensing Hakyeon’s hesitation after he trailed off, Ravi offered the prince a small smile and another gentle squeeze of his fingers. The prompt to continue and the soft reassurance Hakyeon found in Ravi’s face gave him the confidence to continue.

“You make me feel safe,” Hakyeon confessed, holding Ravi’s gaze. “I feel like I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with you, which is why I felt so scared when you collapsed. I panicked and I wasn’t sure how to help you at first. I truly did not realize how much I have come to rely on your presence in my time here. So I was terrified when you suddenly collapsed.”

Ravi’s eyes were marginally wider as he watched Hakyeon’s face as he spoke. If Hakyeon didn’t know any better, he would have thought Ravi was holding his breath. But then Ravi blinked and seemed to unfreeze.

“What are you saying, Hakyeon?” he whispered airily.

“I truly care for you, Ravi,” Hakyeon murmured, bringing Ravi’s hand up to his lips and pressing a chaste kiss against the king’s knuckles. Ravi’s skin was rough with work and wear beneath Hakyeon’s lips. Regardless, he dragged his lips against the rough skin, reveling in the warmth he found there despite how cold Ravi usually was.

It was then that Ravi seemed to realize that Hakyeon was holding his hand, and he weakly tried to tug his fingers away from the prince. But Hakyeon held fast, his grip stronger than Ravi’s since the king was still feeling pliant and sleepy.

“Why do you always wear those gloves, by the way?” Hakyeon asked out of the blue, Ravi’s hand settling back into Hakyeon’s in resignation, despite the glint of fear Hakyeon could detect in Ravi’s eyes. “You’re hands are so warm.”

“Because my touch only brings death,” Ravi whispered, staring at his hand in Hakyeon’s. It was almost like he was afraid that the longer he held onto the prince, the more likely it would be that Hakyeon would begin to decay before his eyes.

“If I hadn’t worn them when I brought your flowers, they wouldn’t have made it here alive. They would have been brown and crackling by the time they were given to you. Anything I touch is ruined and killed, the life sucked from its very being.”

“That’s not true, Ravi,” Hakyeon insisted. “It may be true for some things, but look,” he raised their hands in between them. “I’ve been holding onto you for quite some time now, and there’s nothing wrong with me.”

Hakyeon watched as Ravi chewed at his lip, his gaze caught on their intertwined hands for a long time. Allowing him to ponder in his thoughts, Hakyeon left his hand in Ravi’s as he reached up to remove the now dry cloth from Ravi’s forehead. He pressed the back of his free hand against Ravi’s cheeks and forehead, gauging his temperature and relieved to feel that the king’s skin seemed to have cooled from resting.

“I think you should bathe,” Hakyeon gently interrupted Ravi’s thoughts, drawing the king’s attention back to him. “I think it would help you feel better.”

At Ravi’s consent, Hakyeon gently removed his hand from Ravi’s, ignoring the sudden coolness that hit his skin after holding onto the king’s hand for so long. Moving to the large bath that was positioned for privacy in the corner of the large room behind a divider, Hakyeon moved about, making sure Ravi would be comfortable. Turning the faucet to begin filling the tub with warm water, Hakyeon went back to Ravi’s side, finding the king struggling to stay upright as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll help you,” Hakyeon said gently, allowing Ravi to lean his weight against Hakyeon’s side as he guided him to the steadily filling tub. Fighting against the feeling of the flush in his cheeks, Hakyeon helped Ravi to remove his garments and settled him into the bath. By the time Ravi was settled in the water, head tipped back against a rolled up towel on the lip of the basin, the bath was filled and Hakyeon twisted the faucet to shut it off. He dipped one hand into the water, testing the warmth and dragged his fingers through the water, letting them eventually rest against Ravi’s bicep.

“Have you been sleeping alright?” Ravi’s voice mumbled suddenly, snapping Hakyeon’s attention up to the king’s face. His eyes were still closed, but he was very clearly awake, even if listless.

“I…suppose so, yes,” Hakyeon began hesitantly. He wasn’t sure where the sudden urge to tell Ravi about his suspicion of their shared nightmare came from, but he took a breath and forged ahead.

“In truth, I have been having a nightmare rather similar to yours for a while now. But it hasn’t occurred for a while. I’m inclined to believe that…we may be experiencing it at the same time. I’m not sure why, but I don’t know what else to believe.”

Hakyeon was surprised when Ravi merely nodded tiredly against the lip of the tub, his eyes drooping slightly.

“I had the same suspicion, actually. And I suppose that my lack of sleep and your lack of nightmare can confirm that theory. I am unsure of why we are experiencing this, vision or omen – whatever it may be. But I feel as if I need to apologize for your suffering.”

“This is not your fault, Ravi,” Hakyeon said immediately, lifting his hand from Ravi’s arm to the king’s silver hair. “Please tell me you have not been avoiding sleep to test this theory. Because if you have, I am not letting you out of this room until you have slept an entire day.”

Ravi chuckled tiredly, tipping his head to the side to look up at Hakyeon with fond amusement. In his chest, Hakyeon was certain that his heart had suddenly learned how to dance. Despite that, he smiled warmly down at Ravi, letting his stern gaze slip away as he did.

“As tempting as that sounds,” Ravi sighed. “If I were to sleep for an entire day, the Underworld would probably fall to chaos. Normally things are able to run on their own, but there seems to be some sort of extended massacre occurring in western Asia recently. It makes things difficult.”

“I’m sure they will be able to manage without you, Ravi,” Hakyeon reassured him, pulling his fingers carefully through the king’s silver hair. “Even if it’s just for a day, I’m sure they will manage. The Underworld has been running since the beginning of time. One day without your support won’t end it. You have to be able to take a day to take care of yourself every once in a while.”

Ravi’s sleepy smile curving at his lips warmed Hakyeon’s chest. Reaching for the shampoo near the bath, he shifted to sit on a low stool behind Ravi’s head. Coaxing the king to shift so Hakyeon could get his silver locks wet, he poured some of the fragrant soap into his palm before starting to work it into lather against the king’s scalp. He could swear that he heard a contented hum from Ravi, but the king was completely lax against the lip of the tub, eyes shut and head tipped complacently towards Hakyeon.

The simple display of trust left Hakyeon a little choked up.

Tapping Ravi’s shoulder lightly, Hakyeon got him to lean into the bath a little so Hakyeon could carefully wash the soap from his hair. He kept his fingers gentle, scratching them carefully across Ravi’s scalp as he diligently removed the lather. The water was cloudy with whatever scented oil Hakyeon had poured in earlier, the soapy bubbles now floating lazily across the surface. The sharp scent of herbs that were mixed with the soap clung to the air around them, leaving Hakyeon feeling as lax and comfortable as Ravi looked.

“Ravi?” Hakyeon murmured. “Do you want to get out or wash the rest of your body?”

Ravi stayed quiet for a few moments, and Hakyeon wondered if the king had fallen asleep like this. But then he let out a sleepy sigh through his nose, shifting his head to the side; wet bangs falling in limp clumps across his forehead.

“I’d like to just go back to bed,” he said, his voice sounding so small and quiet that it stunned Hakyeon for a moment. But then he was on his feet, helping to guide Ravi to standing and out of the bath. Not understanding the surge of fierce protectiveness in his chest, Hakyeon ignored his confusion and went about wrapping the king securely in a warm towel from the stack near the bath. Going off the contented sigh that left the king’s lips, Hakyeon guessed that Ravi was more than comfortable with the situation.

Leaving Ravi to dry himself off, Hakyeon turned back to the bath, fishing around in the water to unplug the drain at the bottom. He had been mildly surprised when he arrived here to discover that Ravi had gone through the trouble of installing plumbing throughout the palace in recent centuries.

It certainly made things easier for the servants.

Turning back to the king, shaking the water from his hands, Hakyeon chuckled at the sight before him. Ravi was in the middle of yawning into his arm where it was buried in his towel. It looked like Ravi had dried off his limbs for the most part, but his hair was still dripping lethargic beads of water onto his bare shoulders. Shaking his head with a small smile, Hakyeon walked over to Ravi and tapped his towel-clad arm gently, catching his attention.

“We should get you into sleep clothes,” Hakyeon said, trying to tamp down the smile that was threatening to pull the corners of his mouth up. He didn’t want Ravi to think that he was making fun of him. It was just endearing to see the all-powerful King of the Dead looking like a sleepy child standing in nothing but a towel.

Ravi hummed in acknowledgement, allowing Hakyeon to steer him back towards the bed across the room. He was thankfully awake enough to be able to dress himself, leaving Hakyeon to kneel on the bed behind Ravi with the discarded towel. Ravi sat still, adjusting his tunic on his shoulders as Hakyeon used the slightly damp towel to dry Ravi’s hair. He kept his ruffling gentle, trying not to jostle the king’s head around too much.

“You don’t have to do this if you are uncomfortable,” Ravi’s quiet voice drew Hakyeon from his task. He paused for a moment, hands resting against the towel on Ravi’s head. Resuming again after a moment, Hakyeon shrugged to himself.

“You make it sound like I think I am obligated to be caring for you,” he said easily. “I thought you would know me well enough to know I don’t bother with anything that I don’t want to do.”

Ravi was quiet for another few moments, Hakyeon becoming immersed again in his task.

“I was unaware that your opinion of me was anything other than disdain and distant respect. I have been trying to get closer to you, but I did not know that I had made such progress.”

Ravi’s voice sounded so small and unsure, nothing at all like the king that Hakyeon had sat beside in the throne room all those weeks ago when the others had arrived. He gentled his hands even more and allowed the towel to fall across Ravi’s shoulders. Staring at the king’s hair for a few moments, Hakyeon indulged himself and started carefully combing his fingers through Ravi’s damp hair, careful not to pull too much.

“You were thoughtful,” Hakyeon started quietly. “It took me a while to realize that your intentions were merely to get closer to me and not anything else. After that, it was easy.”

“What did you think my intentions were?”

“Truthfully,” Hakyeon sighed. “I thought you were merely trying to placate my sour mood. It took a while for me to understand that you were trying to make me happy because you genuinely cared. But I know that now.”

Ravi didn’t respond, but Hakyeon could see the faint pink flush tipping the king’s ears. Smiling fondly at the sight, Hakyeon bit down on his chuckle and continued combing his fingers through Ravi’s hair.

“You told me a while ago that not many people liked you,” Hakyeon murmured.

“And you said you liked me,” Ravi returned, his voice no more than a murmur. Hakyeon flushed at the awkward memory, but he forged ahead anyway.

“I did,” Hakyeon confirmed. “And I still do. You are a lot kinder than people give you credit for. You’re thoughtful, too, and I hope that you know that the others think fondly of you as well.”

“Do you…” Ravi’s voice trailed off, and he stayed quiet for a couple of heartbeats. Hakyeon let him gather his thoughts, still consistently pulling his fingers through Ravi’s soft, silver locks.

“Do you truly mean that?”

Huffing, Hakyeon tugged gently at Ravi’s hair. His tone was teasing and playful as he chided the king.

“Did I not just tell you that I don’t bother with things I don’t care about? Why would I waste my breath on something I do not mean?”

Ravi was still and silent for a few heartbeats, allowing Hakyeon to continue his ministrations. Eventually, Ravi ducked his head slightly and gave a tiny roll of his shoulders. Turning to look back at Hakyeon, Ravi gave him a fond sleepy look.

“Thank you for always being truthful with me.”

Blushing hard enough to feel it, Hakyeon merely nodded sharply in reply before helping Ravi to lie down in bed again. Hesitating only a moment, Hakyeon slipped into bed beside the king, pulling the sheets over both of them. Ravi blinked at the prince in surprise before immediately tucking into Hakyeon’s side and resting his head against Hakyeon’s arm. It was similar to the position they had slept in last time. Ravi was still careful to keep a small distance between them, despite Hakyeon’s reassurances that Ravi would not harm Hakyeon with his touch.

They were lying together for a while, Ravi’s breathing even in Hakyeon’s ear, when Hakyeon spoke up again.

“Ravi?”

The king hummed softly in reply.

“I feel like I might have made an assumption earlier about your feelings for me,” Hakyeon said nervously. “But do you actually have feelings towards me? Or did I make that up?”

Ravi immediately lifted his head from Hakyeon’s arm, turning his gaze to the prince and scanning over his face. The king’s expression softened and he leaned up suddenly to leave a soft, lingering kiss at the corner of Hakyeon’s lips.

“I do, Hakyeon, have feelings for you,” Ravi told the stunned prince. “They consume me sometimes to the point that I forget you are not even mine nor am I yours. I do not wish to pressure you into a relationship the way my past incarnations did. So I truly apologize for the way we met. I only did it because of the ancient laws. The stories set in stone at the beginning of the universe govern the gods’ fates. If we stray from the stories throughout any of our incarnations, we will cease to exist. I never wanted to take you from your home, but there was nothing I could do.”

Hakyeon had blinked himself back into reality when Ravi started talking, still reeling a little from the almost-kiss they had just shared. His gaze was soft and understanding towards Ravi, thinking of the stories he had to follow as well as his mother. It was the price they paid for living eternally. They were powerless to change their stories.

“I forgave you weeks ago, Ravi,” Hakyeon murmured. “I was angry and scared at first, but the longer I spent down here, the more I remembered about the trials my mother had to go through regarding her own fate. And when I realized you were making an effort to genuinely try to win my affection and make me comfortable here, I knew that you were not the monster of the Old Days. So, you have nothing to worry about Ravi.”

“Wonshik,” Ravi said softly, causing Hakyeon’s eyebrows to furrow together in confusion.

“My true name,” Ravi elaborated. “I’m sure your mother has one, as do my brothers. Some of the more powerful gods use a name that is not the name of their essence to protect themselves. Our true names have been used against us in past incarnations to try and control us and disrupt our fates. Only those that we trust know our true names. And I am telling you mine now.”

Hakyeon was now staring open-mouthed at Ravi, his eyes widened in shock. He knew exactly what the king was referring to, as he knew his mother’s true name and knew just how big of a deal that was. It showed immense trust among family members and lovers to know another’s true name when it held such power over beings like the gods. Hakyeon himself did not have a fake name that he used, but he understood regardless.

“Wonshik…” Hakyeon whispered, not missing the way the king shivered bodily beside him. The name felt like a weight of pure electricity on his tongue, a power he did not want to wield, but was trusted with anyway.

“Thank you for telling me,” Hakyeon murmured.

Before Wonshik could reply, there was a gentle knock at the chamber’s doors. Hakyeon called out for whoever it was to come in, somehow not surprised to see Taekwoon poking his head around the door.

“Is something wrong?” Hakyeon asked gently, even though the spirit didn’t seem tense.

“No,” Taekwoon murmured, shaking his head as he stepped fully into the bedroom. “I just couldn’t sleep, and I was wondering if I could join you two?”

Hakyeon was startled by the request, and a glance at Wonshik still tucked up beside him revealed a similar expression. He knew that Taekwoon had been growing closer with both Wonshik and Hakyeon, but he hadn’t realized just how comfortable the spirit had become to make such a blatant request. And a look at the spirit revealed how much courage it must have taken, because his cheeks were bright pink now as he shuffled at the door.

“I don’t mind,” Hakyeon spoke up, smiling at Taekwoon’s hopeful expression. “Do you?”

Wonshik shook his head, staring at Taekwoon curiously, but with more fondness than anything.

“Not at all.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! I'm so happy all my work was saved I was so scared I was going to lose everything. But here we go! Enjoy and thank you all for being so understanding last week! <3

Hakyeon awoke comfortably, his arm wrapped securely around the warm, slim waist of Taekwoon. One of Taekwoon’s hands rested atop Hakyeon’s and he could feel the odd sensation of the seemingly ever-present bandages on the spirit’s fingers against his skin. He stared quietly down at the sleeping spirit, eyes roaming lazily over the soft skin of his cheeks, the slight part in his adorably plump lips, and the way his eyelashes fluttered slightly over his skin as he dreamt. Below the sheets, Hakyeon could feel how their legs were ever so slightly tangled together. There was also the warm weight of Wonshik pressed against his back, caging him in and making Hakyeon feel surprisingly safe.

He hadn’t thought that he and Taekwoon had grown this close and comfortable with each other, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy this. In fact, Hakyeon had been thinking about how it might feel to hold the spirit, even if it was in such a simple way as this.

Stretching his limbs a little, Hakyeon tried not to disturb the others. He couldn’t say how long it had been since Taekwoon had crawled into bed with them and they had fallen asleep, but he knew it hadn’t been too long. His limbs weren’t stiff enough to have been lying around for an extended period of time.

From behind him, Wonshik huffed quietly against the back of Hakyeon’s neck. The prince twisted around, switching to lie facing the king. He smiled fondly at Wonshik as he blinked himself awake.

“Hakyeon,” Wonshik mumbled, his voice thick and deeper with sleep. “Did you sleep?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon murmured, smiling softly at Wonshik’s sleepy expression. “I just got up as well. I don’t think we were asleep for long, though.”

Wonshik hummed in acknowledgement, his arm winding around Hakyeon’s waist and shifting a little closer. Hakyeon shivered slightly, the feeling of Wonshik’s fingertips sliding over his back a pleasant sensation that Hakyeon arched ever so slightly into.

He could have chased after Wonshik’s elusive touch even more, but Hakyeon’s spine bumped gently against Taekwoon behind him, and the spirit mumbled in his sleep. Twisting his head to look back at Taekwoon, Hakyeon found himself smiling affectionately.

“Did you wake him?” Wonshik murmured, drawing Hakyeon’s attention back to him. Reaching up to brush his fingers against a stray lock of silver hair, Hakyeon shook his head with a soft smile. Wonshik’s eyes fluttered shut at the prince’s touch, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips. He didn’t need to, but Hakyeon continued to the motion, pulling his fingers gently through Wonshik’s hair over and over again as he watched the kings face.

Wonshik seemed to relax completely under Hakyeon’s ministrations, but there were shadows that remained beneath the king’s eyes. It reminded Hakyeon how they ended up in this situation in the first place. Halting his movements, Hakyeon moved his hand to cup Wonshik’s cheek.

“Wonshik,” Hakyeon breathed, watching the king shiver beside him at his name. “Are you feeling all right? At least…better than before?”

Blinking his eyes open, the king looked up at Hakyeon and gave him a sleepy smile.

“I am rather hungry, considering I did not get much of dinner the night before. So I suppose being hungry is an improvement.”

Hakyeon chuckled quietly and tapped Wonshik’s cheek gently.

“I suppose so.”

There was a soft noise from behind Hakyeon, drawing his attention briefly away from the king. Taekwoon was restless beside him, tossing ever so slightly as he slept. Upon further inspection, the spirit’s brow was furrowed, his eyes pinched at the corners.

“What’s wrong?” Wonshik murmured, sitting up slowly.

“Taekwoon,” Hakyeon said, sitting up and facing the spirit. “I think he’s dreaming, possibly a nightmare.”

Wonshik shifted fully upright, glancing around the prince at Taekwoon. He frowned at the spirit and moved closer as Hakyeon went to Taekwoon’s other side. Reaching out, Hakyeon placed a gentle hand on the spirit’s arm and gave it a miniscule shake.

Instead of waking, Taekwoon thrashed with violence and cried out. He sounded like he was in pain, and it tore at Hakyeon’s heart to hear him sound so broken. Looking up at Wonshik, Hakyeon could see his own pain and desperation reflected back at him.

“Taekwoon,” Hakyeon tried to wake him again, his voice gentle but insistent. “Wake up, please. You’re dreaming.”

The spirit continued to thrash about for a few moments longer, crying out softly or whimpering, reminding Hakyeon of a wounded animal. He kept trying to wake Taekwoon up, desperate to help him in some way. Eventually, Taekwoon thrashed so violently his body rolled towards Hakyeon, forcing the prince to release the spirit’s arm so he could catch him before he slammed his nose into Hakyeon’s knee. The second Hakyeon’s hands stopped Taekwoon from rolling into his knee, the spirit cried out loudly and jerked into an upright position. His chest was heaving beneath his tunic, eyes dancing around wildly as his knuckles turned white where he had a death grip on the bed sheets.

“Taekwoon,” Wonshik called gently, drawing the frantic spirit’s gaze to his. “You are all right, you are safe. It was just a dream.”

Taekwoon shook his head sharply, lips pressed firmly together as he trembled between the two immortals. Leaning closer, Hakyeon could see a slight shine to the spirit’s eyes, tears that had yet to fall.

“What did you dream about?” Hakyeon asked gently.

Taekwoon shook his head again, his voice coming out strained and quiet.

“It wasn’t a dream…it-it was a memory.”

“Of what?” Hakyeon breathed, though he felt that he might already know the answer.

Taekwoon was quiet for a long few moments, to the point where Hakyeon figured he was not going to get an answer out of the spooked spirit. But then Taekwoon raised his eyes and let out a quiet huff of hair through his nose.

“It was…how I died.”

Hakyeon didn’t say anything, and neither did Wonshik, but they both reached for him in the same instance. Hakyeon laid a tentative hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder, while Wonshik’s came to rest against Taekwoon’s spine. Beneath their fingers, Taekwoon shivered very slightly, and took a quiet breath to steady his resolve.

“I was a pianist…a good one. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I was very well known when I was alive and still performing. I wasn’t a genius or anything; I just loved playing. I had been doing it for a long time, too; so I had the experience behind my passion. My parents supported my dream, and I paid them back for all the money they put into lessons and concerts and travel. They didn’t expect me to, but I did anyway because I was grateful.

“I got to play piano all over the world for…years. But then…I think it was a year before my death, I got diagnosed with this degenerative disease called spinal muscular atrophy and…there was nothing I could do. The doctors told my parents and I that I had time, that even though there’s no cure, it wasn’t going to progress quickly enough that it would be worrisome in the short-term. Clearly, they misjudged that.

“I just wanted to keep playing piano, but it got harder and harder because I started losing the ability to move my arms and legs which meant that playing was basically impossible. This all happened within five months of the diagnosis, and the doctors had no idea why it progressed so quickly. It’s not like they could have done anything to stop it. From there it just got worse, because it started affecting more and more of my muscles. By the seventh month, I had just kind of come to terms with the fact that I was going to die very soon. After that, I was bedridden since I could barely move on my own, and eventually the degeneration got to the muscles that allowed me to breathe and to swallow, so it was just a guessing game of what would take me first: the fact that I couldn’t breathe, or starvation. I don’t remember much of the last two months of being alive, but I think it was my inability to breathe that took me.”

Wonshik was watching Taekwoon the whole time he spoke, his expression not surprised but no less upset for it. He had seen Taekwoon’s entire life the moment the spirit stepped into his palace, so he knew all of this already. Hakyeon on the other had, was not surprised to feel burning tears carving their way down his cheeks. He hiccuped quietly on a breath and gave Taekwoon’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“The nightmare is repetitive…I keep having to watch myself just lose control over my own body. It’s just…the worst moments all clipped together on repeat but as an out of body experience.”

“I-I’m so _sorry_ , Taekwoon,” Hakyeon whispered, his voice choked up. “That’s…that’s just awful.”

The spirit seemed surprised to see Hakyeon crying over his story, but he reached out tentatively and placed his hand over Hakyeon’s. His touch was somehow warm and sent a pleasant shock through the prince’s body.

“It was, but I’m just glad I can be here instead of there,” Taekwoon said, his voice as soft as the smile he gave Hakyeon. He had not smiled often at Hakyeon, but every time he did, it stole Hakyeon’s breath away. This time was no different.

“I think talking about it helped a little,” Taekwoon admitted quietly. “Hopefully I can sleep a little more peacefully now…but I know I can’t be completely free from that nightmare.”

“I hope so,” Wonshik finally spoke up, his deep voice soft as he stroked his hand up and down the bumps and ridges of Taekwoon’s spine. “Should you ever need one of us, we will be here for you.”

Wonshik leaned in slowly, reaching out cautiously to draw Taekwoon’s face towards him. Hakyeon watched quietly, a tiny, fond smile pulling at his lips, as Wonshik pressed his lips carefully against Taekwoon’s. Sitting beside the spirit, Hakyeon could feel and hear the movement of Taekwoon’s breath catching. Leaning in closer, Hakyeon nosed his way to the base of Taekwoon’s neck, lips dragging reverently over the pale, supple skin there. He smelled like spices and mountain air, and Hakyeon could suddenly picture Taekwoon’s childhood home near the base of a sloping mount, surrounded by earthen scents and cradled in the lolling valleys that built upwards to the peak.

Hakyeon was caught up basking in the imagery of Taekwoon’s scent and the feel of that soft skin beneath his lips, that it took him a moment to realize Taekwoon was gently tugging himself away from them both. Blinking open his eyes – Hakyeon hadn’t realized he had closed them – he regarded Taekwoon with mild concern.

“S-Sorry,” Taekwoon flushed a pretty pink and glanced down at his hands in his lap. His tongue darted out a little, wetting his lips and looking a tempting rosy color that had Hakyeon wanting to kiss Taekwoon’s lips just so he could get a chance at tasting his sweet looking tongue.

“You do not need to apologize,” Wonshik’s gentle reassurance snapped Hakyeon out of his daze. He nodded along with the king’s words and placed a reassuring hand on the spirit’s knee.

“I-I really liked that,” Taekwoon admitted in the softest voice Hakyeon had heard from him. “But I just w-wanted to make it clear, so there were no misunderstood expectations. I don’t…I really don’t like sex. I don’t mind being intimate, but there’s a limit for me, and I don’t want either of you to misunderstand.”

Hakyeon smiled and shifted a little closer to Taekwoon, reaching out to cup the spirit’s cheeks in his hands. He waited until Taekwoon looked away from his fidgeting, bandaged fingers and met his gaze before speaking.

“I’m glad you told us, and we will not force you into any situation you are uncomfortable with. Just be sure to let us know where your boundaries are until we can better understand what you feel is too much.”

“We will respect whatever your boundaries may be,” Wonshik chimed in, giving Taekwoon a small smile.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon murmured, cheeks somehow managing to turn even pinker than before. Hakyeon’s eyes wandered down to Taekwoon’s plump, slightly kiss swollen lips, and could not resist the temptation.

“Can I kiss you, Taekwoon?”

“Please,” Taekwoon breathed.

The moment Hakyeon slotted their lips together, it felt like a puzzle piece falling into place that suddenly allowed Hakyeon to see the entire picture. He could feel that familiar jolt of electricity he got whenever he looked at the spirit course through his limbs, all the way through his nerves and every skin cell. And if he thought that Taekwoon smelled good, the spirit tasted even better. His lips were pillow soft, and that sweet tongue Hakyeon had been so fixated on reminded him of summer berries. He had no idea how a tongue could taste so sweet, but decided to chalk it up to Taekwoon being a spirit and being able to taste like whatever he wanted.

There was nothing messy or desperate about their kiss, but the heat of Taekwoon’s mouth against his, and the soft noise of pleasure that escaped the spirit when Hakyeon ran his tongue against Taekwoon’s lips set fire to Hakyeon’s chest. They pulled apart a moment later, both breathing heavily, much to the amusement of Wonshik.

Through his haze of pleasure, Hakyeon noticed that the king was still looking very pale and very tired. Taekwoon also carried the weight of fatigue in his posture, most likely from the nightmare. So, stamping down his desire to keep kissing both of the other occupants to the king’s bed, Hakyeon ushered them instead back under the bed sheets and insisted they all get some more rest. He did not pretend to understand the logic of immortal and dead beings needing rest, but he did not question it either.

Hakyeon relinquished his position in the middle to Taekwoon, stretching an arm over the spirit’s slender waist to link his fingers lazily with Wonshik’s. He wondered briefly before drifting off, if Wonshik was still of the mind that his touch would hurt Hakyeon. But before he could form the thought into a quiet question, Hakyeon was asleep, a distant buzz of pleasure still thrumming through his veins.

* * *

_Hakyeon wandered through the halls of the Underworld palace. Or at least, he thought he was until it became apparent that the corridors were completely unfamiliar to him. Despite this, it seemed that Hakyeon knew exactly where he was going, following some path through the halls as if he had walked it thousands of times before. There were no doors lining the maze-like halls, so there was nowhere for him to go except forward._

_After what felt like hours of wandering, Hakyeon spotted a set of double doors at the end of the hall. They were the first things that Hakyeon recognized in this odd place. The ebony colored doors were without a doubt the entrance to Wonshik’s bedroom. Unbidden, Hakyeon's feet carried him forward to the doors. As he stood before them, Hakyeon raised his hand and knocked twice. The sharp noise echoed through the barren halls as the door swung slowly open._

_Stepping forward, Hakyeon pushed the door open the rest of the way, peering into the room. However, the doors had somehow led him outside. Spread out before him, there was a large, dark maze of thorns and tangled vines. Something pulled at Hakyeon, urging him to wander through and find whatever it was that awaited him at the end of the maze._

_As he walked, the thorns became thicker, weaving themselves more tightly together, blocking the view through the gaps that had previously been there. Hakyeon unnervingly felt as if the thorns themselves were alive, the vines they grew on becoming thicker and thicker the further in Hakyeon went._

_Suddenly there was a sharp pain shooting through Hakyeon's right hand, something yanking him backwards a few steps with unyielding force. Turning quickly, Hakyeon found that some of the vines had shot out, wrapping firmly around Hakyeon's hand. The large thorns pierced his skin and held him in place as the pain made spots dance before Hakyeon's eyes. Through the fog in his mind, Hakyeon realized that the thorns were all but metallic, probably of a similar material to the spires that grew in the palace gardens. They were only fashioned to look like vines of thorns._

_There was a distant cry, one of agony and pain that had Hakyeon's head snapping up sharply. For a moment he wondered if the cry had somehow escaped his own lips without him realizing it. But then it sounded again, very close to Hakyeon but definitely not from himself._

_Whipping his head around in every direction, Hakyeon tried to find the source of the cry. The voice sounded again, distantly familiar to his ears, before the vines began to part on Hakyeon's left. He turned as much as he could while his hand was still encased in the thorns. Once there was enough space to see through the tangled mass of metallic plants, Hakyeon gave a sharp gasp of surprise._

_Wonshik was on his knees, nearly his entire body shrouded in the thorns. They almost looked like chains, holding him down and piercing his skin, tearing through his pale complexion until the golden ichor flowing through Wonshik’s veins stained the black thorns. Wonshik looked as if he were trying to hold back from crying out again, but Hakyeon watched as the vines tightened impossibly more around the king’s limbs. The action caused Wonshik to toss his head back as an agonized scream tore its way out of his throat. The sound made Hakyeon wince and he tugged against the vines around his hand in an effort to get away from them. He couldn't keep watching this any longer._

_The vines would not let Hakyeon break free as they dug deeper and deeper into his flesh as his own ichor seeped through the wounds and colored the thorns. The pain was unbearable and Hakyeon couldn't bring himself to stop the cry that escaped his lips. It left him in harmony with another of Wonshik’s agonized screams, their chorus of pain ringing through the cavernous Underworld._

_"Let me go!" Hakyeon shouted, tears pricking at his eyes as he tugged violently at the thorns. "I said let me_ _go!"_

_As if to spite him, the vines wrapped ever harder, digging into his flesh and tearing at the muscles of his hand beneath. Hakyeon cried out and gave another futile tug against the thorns._

_Hearing Wonshik cry out again, Hakyeon gave a furious shout and with some newfound determination, tore his hand painfully and brutally free of the thorns’ confines. Ichor poured from the gouges left in his hand, but Hakyeon ignored the pain and the mess and turned to run towards the king. Every part of him wanted to run away from the king, but at the same time, Hakyeon could not find it in himself to leave Wonshik behind to suffer._

_Reaching for the mess of thorns, Hakyeon took firm hold of the nearest vine and began tugging with all his strength. Images of memories of different forms of the gods, clearly from Wonshik’s past incarnations, flashed across Hakyeon’s vision. He could not make sense of any of them, and he did not try to. Hakyeon knew he could not afford to be distracted from his task._

_Giving another violent tug, the vine snapped free and Hakyeon fell backwards with a shocked exclamation. Scrambling to his feet again, Hakyeon grabbed another vine, seeing more flashes of old memories that he shoved aside, working to free Wonshik._

_“Hakyeon,” Wonshik’s voice was weak and strained from the pain and the screaming. “Just run…leave before you are trapped as well.”_

_“No!” Hakyeon growled, panting as he tugged at yet another vine. “Do not give up! I refuse to leave you after everything we have gone through. You do not deserve this, Wonshik.”_

_The use of his true name seemed to light a spark of the god Hakyeon knew in Wonshik’s eyes. He started to struggle again, pushing against the vines and grunting every now and then when a movement left him pricked by a thorn. Hakyeon kept working too, feeling his heartbeat speed up in fear when the vines started slinking towards him and wrapping around his hands again. His ichor stained the metallic vines, making them slippery and harder to hold onto._

_The world started to fade around Hakyeon, and he was struck with the sudden thought that he was going to wake up; that he was going to leave Wonshik here alone to attempt to break free._

_He didn’t want to leave Wonshik._

_“No!” Hakyeon struggled to stay, began tugging more frantically at the vines that refused to relinquish their prize._

_“I won’t leave you!” Hakyeon shouted, the edges of his vision going gray._

_“It is all right, Hakyeon,” Wonshik said, looking entirely too calm for someone who was currently buried in a mass of sentient metallic thorns._

_“I will be just fine.”_

_“No!” Hakyeon cried, lunging forward and thrusting his hand into the mass of thorns. He felt his fingers brush against the torn fabric of Wonshik’s tunic, and he curled his fingers firmly around the vine just beneath his hand. Unlike before, memories did not flash before his eyes, but rather a single image came rushing up in front of Hakyeon’s eyes. It was a younger looking immortal, skin sun-kissed and smiling warmly at Wonshik in the memory. Their eyes were crinkled into crescents as they smiled, but when they opened their eyes, Hakyeon was startled to find his own eyes staring back at him._

_The memory releasing him, Hakyeon blinked owlishly at Wonshik, who gave him a weary smile before Hakyeon’s vision faded entirely._

* * *

Waking up was abrupt, startling, and not at all pleasant. Unlike the last time Hakyeon had stirred from slumber, this time it was nowhere near pleasant. He did so with a shout, the sound so desperately gut wrenching, he wasn’t entirely sure it was even an actual word.

He was drenched in sweat, panicked, and gasping as he flailed into consciousness. Hakyeon was so immersed in his panic that it took him a few moments to realize that someone was talking to him, and that someone else was holding him upright with his back pressed to their chest.

“Hakyeon?” Wonshik’s voice finally cut through his panic, and he blinked heavily into focus. The king’s face was creased with concern, his hands cupped gently against Hakyeon’s cheeks despite the sweat coating the prince’s skin. He could distantly feel Taekwoon’s nose buried in his hair from behind, and he pressed a little more into the spirit’s weight, taking comfort in the solidity behind him.

“I-I’m…” Hakyeon tried to speak, his voice coming out as a croak.

Wonshik hushed him gently and stroked his thumb over Hakyeon’s cheekbone. Tipping his face into the king’s palm, Hakyeon let out a little sigh through his nose, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. The feel of Wonshik’s warm skin against his was soothing, and he was grateful that the king seemed to be getting past his fear of hurting Hakyeon.

“You’re safe,” Wonshik murmured. “It was the nightmare, wasn’t it? I had it too.”

Hakyeon hummed groggily, blinking and trying to ground himself with the presence of the other two around him. Reaching for Taekwoon’s hand, Hakyeon jerked away in shock when his hand came away wet. Looking down, a strangled, alarmed noise escaped Hakyeon’s throat and he tried to twist to face Taekwoon.

“Y-You’re bleeding,” he managed to get out. It drew Wonshik’s attention away from Hakyeon to Taekwoon, his brows furrowing even further with new concern.

Taekwoon shifted slightly behind Hakyeon, taking care to still support him, but he let Wonshik gently take hold of his bleeding hand. The bandages from earlier were still wrapped around his fingers, but now they were soaked through with crimson. Hakyeon watched as Wonshik looked up at Taekwoon with narrowed eyes.

“How did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Taekwoon’s soft voice spoke in Hakyeon’s ear. “It happens sometimes…I just wake up like this. But it only started after I got here.”

Suddenly, something clicked for Hakyeon and he glanced down at Taekwoon’s hand in Wonshik’s. It was the same hand that had been wrapped in thorns in his dream.

“That…I think…I think you’re being affected by our nightmare. That-That’s the same hand I get stuck in the thorns each time.”

At the confused look Hakyeon got from Wonshik, he explained the progression of his nightmare quietly, watching Wonshik’s brow furrow further and further as he did. The king continued holding Taekwoon’s injured hand, his thumb stroking absently over the spirit’s knuckles.

“That’s very odd…” Wonshik murmured after Hakyeon was finished explaining. “Our dreams appear to be connected, and Taekwoon seems to be experiencing the physical repercussions of your dream.”

Taekwoon shifted behind Hakyeon and transferred the prince into Wonshik’s arms. Hakyeon made a small noise of protest at the movement, but didn’t fight the transition.

“I’m going to clean up my hand. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“I can help you,” Wonshik offered immediately, but Taekwoon shook his head with a little smile.

“I can handle it, it’s not too bad. Besides, Hakyeon needs you more than I do right now. I’ll be back quickly.”

Wonshik seemed hesitant, but he let the spirit go without further protest. Turning his attention to Hakyeon once they were alone, Wonshik carefully pushed Hakyeon’s limp bangs out of his eyes and held him upright against his shoulder with care.

“Are you feeling any better?” Wonshik murmured. At Hakyeon’s nod, Wonshik sighed wearily and rested his forehead against Hakyeon’s brow.

“I think I finally figured it out, our dream.”

Hakyeon looked up at the king, a question in his eyes. Wonshik merely gave him a weary but fond smile.

“The thorns, they’re representative of our burdens. I believe that yours are so much less than mine because you are held back and burdened by the thought of the spirits and being torn between your new life here and the life you left behind on Olympus. It was when you realized why Taekwoon’s hand was bleeding that made me realize this. He is holding you back from leaving this place behind easily. It is not a bad thing, but it is an obstacle.”

Hakyeon stared down at his hand where the phantom pain of his dream still lingered. He contemplated Wonshik’s words for a few quiet moments before looking up at the king. Wonshik was watching him quietly, his expression almost blank, but some distress slipped through the cracks anyway for Hakyeon to see.

“What about you?” Hakyeon murmured, already knowing part of the answer as the images from his dream came rushing back. “What is it that burdens you so much?”

Feeling almost guilty for asking, Hakyeon watched the distress morph into aged weariness. Wonshik’s entire expression crumbled under the weight of it, almost like he was wrapped up in those thorns again.

“It is everything,” Wonshik sighed eventually. “All of the past incarnations I have experienced, the weight of the mistakes I made, the stories I am forbidden to stray from…the way I have treated you in all those pasts.”

“You remember those?” Hakyeon asked incredulously. As far as he knew, every time an immortal was reincarnated, their mind was wiped of most memories from their previous life. It was a merciful thing too, as the weight of too many millennia could drive one insane. Hakyeon himself only had very vague memories from his past lives, and he was content with that. He believed that having that clean slate allowed an immortal to start over and be better the next time around.

“My memories have never been wiped away,” Wonshik confessed, sounding as ancient as the universe that had created them. “My brothers and I are unable to forget the transgressions of our pasts. It is our burden to carry as price for being so powerful. We have no choice.”

“Wonshik,” Hakyeon murmured, twisting to brush his fingers gently against the king’s cheek. The combination of Hakyeon’s touch and the use of his true name left Wonshik shuddering against the prince. He sighed and leaned into the prince’s touch reverently.

“Even without my memories, I know that whatever happened in the past, I forgive you now. You have been so kind and selfless and attentive. This is a new life, regardless of your memories and my lack of them. What matters is what happens this time.”

“You were always too good for me,” Wonshik turned his face to press his lips against Hakyeon’s palm. He wrapped on arm around Hakyeon’s waist and lifted the other to gently hold Hakyeon’s wrist in place.

“That is something that has never changed across all our incarnations. That, and your beautiful eyes. Each time I find you, you look at me with the same eyes you had at the beginning of all of this.”

Hakyeon felt himself blushing spectacularly, muttering something about Wonshik being ridiculous, but he did not pull away. Wonshik’s lips curled into a fond, teasing grin against Hakyeon’s palm, and the sensation tickled ever so slightly, pulling a little smile onto the prince’s face as well. Wonshik’s hand moved and rested against Hakyeon’s sternum, his fingers brushing against the glowing ruby at Hakyeon’s collarbone. He had noticed the other day that the stone seemed to be pulsating brighter than when Wonshik had first given it to him. He said as much to the king, and Wonshik was suddenly a deep shade of crimson.

“It is a stone of the heart, and magic dictates that whoever gifts said stone to someone, it portrays the strength of the wearers romantic feelings towards the giver. The more brightly it glows, the stronger the emotion.”

“Oh,” Hakyeon whispered, feeling his own face begin to heat up.

“I must admit,” Wonshik murmured. “I was rather disappointed when I first gave it to you and the stone was remarkably dim. But now, I see I do not have much to fret about.”

“No,” Hakyeon whispered, reaching up to intertwine his fingers with Wonshik’s. “You have nothing to concern yourself about.”

Wonshik’s answering smile was so full of emotion that Hakyeon felt his breath leave his chest. He scarcely thought about returning the gesture, but his lips curled into a small smile on their own anyway.

“Are you feeling better? You were really out of it after you woke up,” Wonshik asked, untangling their fingers so he could reach up and run his fingers through Hakyeon’s hair soothingly.

Hakyeon nodded in return, closing his eyes at the king’s touch.

“I feel a little more resolved now that we have spoken about the source of the dreams. I would like to go back to sleep, though. But only once Taekwoon returns. I want to make sure that he is actually all right.”

“As do I,” Wonshik nodded, frowning slightly. “It upsets me that he has been handling this all on his own this entire time, but he is a strong soul.”

Hakyeon was about to answer when Taekwoon returned with a soft knock to announce his presence, as if summoned by his name. The spirit’s fingers were wrapped with fresh bandages, looking clean and secure. He walked over to the bed as Wonshik adjusted himself and Hakyeon so they could lie down comfortably again. Hakyeon was about to move so Taekwoon could lie in the middle again, but the spirit moved first and made sure to cage Hakyeon between himself and Wonshik.

Leaning down over Hakyeon, Taekwoon pressed a firm kiss to the prince’s lips, lingering for a few moments before gently pulling back and doing the same to Wonshik. The king’s soft chuckle shook his chest, warming Hakyeon’s heart with fondness.

Once they were settled again, Hakyeon felt the exhaustion wash over him. He briefly wondered if he should be concerned with how exhausted he had been feeling lately, but being surrounded by the warmth of Taekwoon and Wonshik on both sides, he found he couldn’t really bring himself to care. There were more important things in life to worry about.


	10. Chapter 10

“What do you mean you’ve never tried hot chocolate? You’re a fucking god! You’ve had literally forever to experience this, how could you have _missed_ this?”

“Hyukkie, he’s been a little busy managing the entire Underworld in case you failed to notice. Things like novelty drinks tend to fall by the wayside,” Hakyeon pointed out. He was currently tucked comfortably between Wonshik’s legs, leaning his back against the king’s chest. Taekwoon was lying beside them, his head resting against Hakyeon’s thigh.

“Wait,” Hyuk held up his hands, much to Jaehwan’s annoyance, who had been on the receiving end of Hyuk playing absently with his hair where he was reclined against the younger’s leg.

“Hakyeon, don’t tell me _you’ve_ never had hot chocolate either.”

Hakyeon remained quiet. Hyuk blanched in shock.

“ _What?_ ” Hyuk practically screeched. “You two have no choice now, you have to bring hot chocolate back with you the next time you visit the surface. We’re having a hot chocolate party.”

“Hyuk,” Hongbin chuckled, leaning into his shoulder. “Calm down. We have plenty of time to get them hooked on the stuff.”

“Hongbin, I love you,” Hyuk stated, causing the spirit to flush pink. “But this is an emergency that needs to be fixed immediately.”

“Honestly, I would be more concerned if they hadn’t tried milkshakes,” Jaehwan commented, looking content as Hyuk resumed dragging his fingers through the spirit’s hair. However, when both Hakyeon and Wonshik exchanged sheepish looks, Jaehwan sat bolt upright.

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you two?” he demanded over the background noise of Hyuk’s indignant screeching at Hakyeon and Wonshik. Hongbin sat beside them both, still slightly pink from Hyuk’s comment, but also shaking his head with fond exasperation.

“Okay, okay!” Hakyeon held up his hands, trying to placate the younger spirits. “We will try these drinks when we have the chance, I promise. And then we will report back to you, deal?”

Jaehwan huffed and reclined against Hyuk’s legs again as the younger grumbled in acceptance. Wonshik’s deep chuckle sounded in Hakyeon’s ear, sending a shiver down the prince’s spine. Taekwoon huffed quietly against Hakyeon’s leg, smirking at the two of them like he was enjoying their awkwardness.

“You know,” Hyuk murmured to himself more than anyone else. “Hakyeon will be going back in a few days. He could just bring it back with him next time or something.”

Hakyeon winced slightly at the reminder, feeling Wonshik’s limbs go stiff around him. Hyuk seemed to realize his mistake the second the words left his lips as he immediately pressed his lips together and looked like a kicked puppy. Taekwoon’s fingers curled into the fabric of Hakyeon’s pant leg, almost like he thought the action would keep Hakyeon exactly where he was.

“I’m sorry,” Hyuk whispered contritely, curling into himself a little as Hongbin and Jaehwan glanced between Hyuk and the trio across from them. The tension was thick in the air, but Hakyeon merely shook his head with a tiny smile.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Hyukkie,” Hakyeon reassured him. “It is merely a truth that we have to face sooner rather than later. Three months ago I would have been jumping at thought of leaving. But now, to my surprise as much as your own, I find myself not eager to leave.”

“We don’t want you to leave either,” Jaehwan mumbled from against Hyuk’s leg. “Are you sure you have to go?”

“If I remain,” Hakyeon sighed. “Then the order of our existence will be thrown out of balance. Consequences far beyond anything we could imagine would be reaped. Besides, as much as I desire to remain longer, I cannot truthfully say it would be worth it. At least, if I leave, I know I can come back and see all of you again for certain.”

Wonshik’s arms around Hakyeon’s chest tightened as he pressed his nose to the junction of the prince’s shoulder and neck. His warm breath fanned over Hakyeon’s skin as Wonshik exhaled.

In that moment, not even the fires of Olympus could compare to the warmth Hakyeon felt in Wonshik’s arms.

* * *

It was their last night together, and Hakyeon and Wonshik where currently tucked up against each other on the king’s sprawling mattress. Taekwoon had joined them for dinner, but had then retreated to his own room, saying he merely was not up for interaction that evening. Hakyeon suspected that Taekwoon was aware of the tension between Wonshik and Hakyeon and was merely giving them space.

Hakyeon raised his eyes from where he had been following his fingers as he traced the defined lines of Wonshik’s stomach. As he did, he was not surprised to find Wonshik already watching him, fondness coloring his irises.

“I will miss you,” Wonshik murmured to the space between them.

“As will I,” Hakyeon whispered in return. “But you must promise me that you will take care of yourself and not isolate yourself from the others. Especially Taekwoon. They trust you now.”

Wonshik’s lips curled slightly at the corners as he reached up and pulled his fingers through Hakyeon’s fringe. Letting his eyes flutter shut momentarily, enjoying the sensation, he did not let it distract him from extracting a promise from Wonshik.

“I promise,” the king murmured, before Hakyeon could press him further. “Besides, I expect you to visit. You can make certain I do not go back on my word.”

“This is true,” Hakyeon hummed, his fingers tracing lower against Wonshik’s abdomen. The action drew a hitched exhale from the king, his eyelashes fluttering as he did. Smirking, Hakyeon started to lean into Wonshik’s space, breaching the gap between them. They were a mere breath apart when the king’s hand came up between them and pressed gently against Hakyeon’s chest. He moved to brace himself above Hakyeon, staying as close as possible to Hakyeon’s lips.

“Are you certain that you are all right with this?” Wonshik murmured against Hakyeon’s lips, his voice gravelly with desire. The sound sent a thrill of pleasure snaking in the pit of Hakyeon’s stomach. He arched a little, toes curling with the sensation and gave his breathless confirmation.

“Yes,” Hakyeon gasped softly. “I am more than sure.”

Wonshik smiled down at him and hesitated only a moment before leaning forward enough to connect their lips. If kissing Taekwoon was like finding a lost puzzle piece, kissing Wonshik was like feeling the sun on his skin again. It was everything warm and pleasant about a calm summer day. The irony was not lost on Hakyeon, but he pressed into the sensation eagerly, soaking up the gentle pressure against his lips and basking in the feeling of Wonshik’s hands grazing reverently over his skin beneath his tunic. Groaning against the king’s lips, Hakyeon wound his arms around Wonshik’s neck, pulling him slightly closer, applying more pressure to their kiss.

After a moment, Wonshik pulled back, both of them gasping slightly for breath, a pretty pink flush decorating Hakyeon’s cheeks. Smiling softly, Wonshik moved one hand from where he was bracing himself up on the mattress to gently drag his thumb across Hakyeon’s cheek, tracing the pink flush. Locking eyes with Hakyeon again, Wonshik kissed his nose once before dragging his lips down the column of Hakyeon’s throat. The sensation pulled a moan from the prince’s lips, his hips twitching against Wonshik’s thigh. Feeling the king smirk against his throat, Hakyeon sucked in a startled breath when Wonshik slotted his thigh higher between Hakyeon’s legs.

Arousal pooled in the prince’s gut and he took the offered leg and ground against it. A whimper fell from Hakyeon’s lips, turning to a strangled gasp when Wonshik’s teeth latched firmly against his skin and he gave a firm suck.

Pinpricks of pleasure shot out across Hakyeon’s skin from the hickey that was currently being sucked into his skin. He groaned, eyelids fluttering shut and teeth digging into his bottom lip as his hips stuttered into a repetitive grinding motion against Wonshik’s thigh. Wonshik continued to suck firmly at Hakyeon’s neck, his tongue dancing lightly across the forming bruise every now and again. It was only when Wonshik’s teeth nipped at the sensitive skin that Hakyeon’s hands flew from twisting the sheets to bury his fingers in the king’s silver hair. His gasp melted into a groan and Hakyeon tugged lightly at Wonshik’s hair, not enough to pull him off, but enough to let him know how pleasurable the sensation was.

Wonshik in turn, groaned against Hakyeon’s throat and pressed his thigh ever closer to Hakyeon’s crotch. Unbidden, a strangled whimper tugged itself free from Hakyeon’s throat, prompting the king to finally pull back and release the skin of the prince’s neck with a soft, wet pop.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Wonshik smirked down at the flushed and dazed prince beneath him.

“Intensely,” Hakyeon gasped, his fingers still curled in Wonshik’s hair.

Wonshik huffed out an amused breath before he started to tug Hakyeon’s tunic off, gently managing to pull it over the prince’s head and planting a gentle kiss to his lips once the garment was discarded over the side of the bed. Hakyeon hummed happily against Wonshik’s lips, melting beneath the ministration of the king’s fingers smoothing up and down the ladder of Hakyeon’s rib cage idly. With a small frown, Hakyeon tugged lightly at Wonshik’s tunic, indicating that he wanted it removed.

Hakyeon had seen Wonshik without clothes before, his mind flashing back to days prior when the king had worked himself to exhaustion. But this was a different experience entirely.

This time around, the sight of the well-defined lines decorating Wonshik’s abdomen aroused Hakyeon beyond any feeling he had ever experienced before.

Reaching up, Hakyeon reverently smoothed his hands up from Wonshik’s hips to rest against the lower curve of his rib cage. Humming quietly in appreciation of the view, Hakyeon smiled softly as Wonshik bent over to press chaste kisses along the prince’s stomach. He worked slowly downward, lips lingering longer and longer the further south he moved as he settled between Hakyeon’s legs. It was only when Wonshik began sucking a new hickey into the soft skin of Hakyeon’s hipbone that he started to tug down Hakyeon’s pants. Lifting his hips slightly off the bed, Hakyeon wiggled a little to help Wonshik tug the garment all the way off. He sighed in relief when his growing erection was finally free. Wonshik pulled back from the hickey to give Hakyeon an amused look.

“What are you all right with, my love?” Wonshik murmured, sitting back and letting his lips and fingertips graze teasingly over the smooth skin of Hakyeon’s thighs. The prince whined airily as he arched and squirmed at the feeling.

“W-Wonshik,” Hakyeon gasped as the king drug his fingers like a quick breath over Hakyeon’s exposed erection. “ _Please_ just…just take me.”

Wonshik’s ministrations paused, and Hakyeon wanted to sob at the loss. His fingers twisted into the rumpled silken sheets as he twisted his neck to the side to look down at the king.

“Are you certain?” Wonshik asked, pressing his lips against the curve of Hakyeon’s knee.

“ _Yes_ ” Hakyeon groaned. “You’ve pulled me this far, please don’t stop now. I want this, Wonshik. I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

Wonshik blinked down at Hakyeon, seeming surprised by his words, but then he smiled – looking all degrees of loving – and resumed kissing and gently sucking at the skin of Hakyeon’s inner thighs. The feeling pulled sweet little gasps and moans from the prince’s lips. He squirmed slightly against the sensations and fought to keep his thighs apart so he did not squeeze them against Wonshik’s head. The king seemed content to take his idle time working over every inch of Hakyeon’s sensitive thighs, moving slowly and methodically.

“ _Gods,_ ” Hakyeon moaned suddenly, lower back arching when Wonshik very suddenly moved his lips to kiss at the head of the prince’s throbbing erection. He guessed from the tiny huff of laughter he heard that Wonshik was amused by his reaction. But he did not have time to dwell on that, as the king very nearly sent Hakyeon over the edge by suddenly taking him into his mouth.

Hakyeon keened at the sensation, his hands flying to twist his fingers into Wonshik’s hair.

“Oh, Wonshik, _fuck_ ,” Hakyeon gasped and moaned in a breathless voice. He writhed and arched against the sensation of Wonshik’s warm tongue resting against his cock. The heat of the king’s mouth was enough to drive Hakyeon crazy, but he wanted this moment to last, so he tugged his lower lip between his teeth and steeled himself against the pleasure.

That is, until Wonshik very suddenly pulled back enough to flick his tongue against Hakyeon’s slit and then promptly swirled his tongue around the head of the prince’s length. Hakyeon very nearly yelled when Wonshik followed that with dragging his lips and tongue down the length of Hakyeon’s cock.

“ _Wonshik_ ,” Hakyeon gasped, his eyes screwed shut as he tipped his head back against the mattress, neck arching with the pleasure trilling up his spine. “Gods I’m close, shit—”

Seeming to take that as an invitation to a challenge, Wonshik wrapped his lips around the head of Hakyeon’s cock and worked himself steadily down until his nose was pressed against the prince’s skin.

Then Wonshik – _the bastard_ , Hakyeon had enough consciousness left to think – hummed deeply in his throat and sent pleasure coursing through the prince’s veins, tipping him over the edge. Hakyeon let out a sound somewhere between a shout and a drawn out moan as he gripped Wonshik’s silver strands and released down the king’s throat. Wonshik seemed unbothered by this as he merely waited for Hakyeon to finish before pulling off with a lewd popping sound and swallowing everything. He smirked down at Hakyeon’s flushed cheeks and bent to kiss his nose.

“That was pleasurable,” Wonshik hummed, dragging his nose down Hakyeon’s throat and pressing a kiss to his sternum, just below the pulsating ruby at Hakyeon’s neck.

Hakyeon, who had relaxed into the mattress, lifted his head a little to stare down at Wonshik. Propping himself up on his elbows, Hakyeon grinned fondly, his face still flushed, and nodded.

“Indeed. I cannot recall another time I felt quite this pleasured, if I must admit.”

Wonshik flushed at the obvious compliment, trying to hide how flustered he was by pressing more kisses to Hakyeon’s chest. Just as quickly as the mood had settled, Wonshik started pressing lingering kisses to Hakyeon’s skin, moving to take the bud of the prince’s nipple in between his teeth, and the tension returned.

Hakyeon moaned softly at the feeling of Wonshik’s teeth on his skin, crying out softly in surprise when the king’s tongue flicked over the sensitive bud. Moving his elbows, Hakyeon collapsed back down onto the warm, slightly sweaty silken sheets and keened quietly as Wonshik lavished attention and saliva on Hakyeon’s pert nipple. He squirmed and tossed his head to one side as Wonshik released the bud and moved to the flushed skin of Hakyeon’s pectoral and started to suck an enthusiastic hickey into existence.

Wonshik eventually released the now sensitive and purpling skin with a satisfied smirk, lifting himself away from the prince for a few moments to reach and grab something on the table nearby. Hakyeon – dazed from the sensations he had been high on – blinked lethargically after him. Wonshik returned into his line of sight with a small bottle of olive oil. Flushing, the prince averted his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

“Hakyeon?” Wonshik’s gentle voice spoke above him. Hakyeon could feel him hovering, concern radiating in his tone. “Are you all right with this? We do not have to continue if you are uncomfortable.”

“It is not that…” Hakyeon murmured, slowly removing his hands so he could look up at the king. “I just…had forgotten how old fashioned you were.”

Wonshik frowned in confusion and tipped his head slightly to the side.

“There is something called lubrication that the humans invented very recently for the purpose of more pleasurable intercourse. I suppose it is no better or worse than oil, but it has the sole purpose of being used for this type of thing.”

Wonshik looked down at the bottle in his hand and seemed surprised. Hakyeon made a mental note to quiz the king later on what he was and was not aware of regarding the modern century.

“Really? Well, humans are quite clever in certain matters. This is all I have for now, but perhaps you could bring some of this new lubrication the next time you are here.”

Flushing deeper at the indication of further intercourse with Wonshik, Hakyeon nodded before reaching out to tug the king closer. He was starting to get hard again, and he did not want to lose the mood over discussion of preferred lubrication.

“Of course, but for now, the oil will be more than enough.”

“You are certain this is not too much for you?” Wonshik checked again, caressing Hakyeon’s cheek with his free hand. He kissed Hakyeon languidly, tongue slipping past the prince’s parted lips and licking into his mouth. Hakyeon moaned softly against Wonshik’s lips and reached up to tangle his fingers into Wonshik’s hair. When the king pulled back after a few more moments, Hakyeon moved his hands to cup the king’s face and looked him steadily in the eye.

“I’m certain,” Hakyeon whispered.

Smiling, Wonshik swooped in for another kiss – this one brief but no less loving – before he pulled back to coat his fingers in glistening oil. He set the bottle aside and pulled one of the prince’s legs over his shoulder, the crook of Hakyeon’s knee resting against Wonshik’s skin. Pressing little kisses down the expanse of Hakyeon’s inner thigh, Wonshik teasingly traced his slick fingers over the prince’s entrance. Hakyeon keened and whined, try to wiggle closer to the sensation, quiet pleas for _more_ falling over his lips.

Wonshik smiled against the soft skin of Hakyeon’s leg before sucking harshly at the same moment he pressed a finger carefully into the prince. Hakyeon’s back arched as he cried out, pleasure rocketing up his spine and leaving him trembling at the mixed sensations. He burned a little from the intrusion, but it was more pleasurable than painful. Wonshik was very slowly working his finger in and out of the prince, opening him up and gradually getting him used to the feeling. As he did this, Wonshik continued to suck at Hakyeon’s skin, clearly intent on leaving a very large and noticeable mark on his inner thigh.

“W-Wonshik, _please_ it’s not e-enough,” Hakyeon managed to stutter out breathlessly, the words tumbling messily past his lips.

Wonshik released the skin between his lips and pressed a feather light kiss to the forming bruise. He shushed Hakyeon softly and slipped a second finger in alongside the first when he thrust in again. Hakyeon moaned and pressed back against Wonshik’s digits, knowing they wouldn’t be enough to send him over the edge, but searching for more anyway.

They continued with the steady pumping of Wonshik’s two fingers in and out of Hakyeon for a few moments before the king pressed a firm kiss to Hakyeon’s impressive hickey. He was clearly trying to distract Hakyeon, as the same time he did this, a third finger found its way into Hakyeon’s entrance.

Hakyeon let a long, drawn out groan pull out of his throat, eyes fluttering at the feeling of being just a little bit more full. Wonshik’s lips curled into a tiny smile against the prince’s skin as he teased Hakyeon with an agonizingly slow in and out motion. Hakyeon could feel every drag of Wonshik’s blunt nails over the skin inside of him, drawing shaky breaths from his lips. But then Wonshik pushed his fingers in as deep as he could and crooked them just so and Hakyeon couldn’t bite down fast enough on the _yell_ that came out of him.

“Are you all right?” Wonshik breathed against Hakyeon’s leg, his fingers still inside the prince but no longer moving.

“D-Don’t _stop_ ,” Hakyeon whined breathlessly. “That felt amazing.”

Chuckling, Wonshik indulged the prince a little longer before pulling his fingers out, leaving the prince squirming and whining and empty. He lowered Hakyeon’s leg back to the mattress, leaving Hakyeon still blinking in a daze of pleasure. After a few moments of nothing, Hakyeon was about to voice his complaints when he felt something nudge against his ass. He sucked in a sharp breath and glanced down at Wonshik, who was very clearly waiting for permission. The king’s cock was just visible to Hakyeon over the curve of the prince’s thigh, and he could see how hard and pink it was, slicked with oil.

Dropping his head against the mattress again, Hakyeon whined softly and inched himself a little closer to the king, feeling slightly more pressure against his entrance from the movement. Wonshik sucked in a quiet breath and placed a steadying hand to Hakyeon’s hip.

“Please, Wonshik,” Hakyeon begged through a whine. “Please don’t tease me anymore. I want you.”

Wonshik seemed to study the flush on Hakyeon’s cheeks for a few heavy heartbeats before he gripped the prince’s thighs in his warm hands and pushed into Hakyeon. Mouth falling open with the shock of pleasure, Hakyeon was silent for a moment before he moaned, the sound high in his throat. Wonshik was thrusting shallowly, working carefully to get deeper into Hakyeon’s entrance without hurting him. The whole time he was moving, Wonshik’s upper body was hunched, and his hands busy roaming lovingly up and down Hakyeon’s torso. The prince had just enough focus to think of when Wonshik was always wearing his gloves; scared to touch the prince or anything really, with the fear of hurting everything nestled deep in his soul.

Now his hands wandered freely over the planes of Hakyeon’s sweat sheened skin. Wonshik’s fingers were gentle, his palms warm and wide and comforting. Hakyeon shivered under his touch and couldn’t stop the keen that slipped out of him when Wonshik’s hands settled at Hakyeon’s slim waist as he bottomed out.

“Oh _fuck,_ ” Hakyeon groaned, hands weakly grabbing for Wonshik’s shoulders as the king hunched further over the prince. “Fuck—fuck me, please Wonshik, _please_ —”

Wonshik cut off his rambling pleas by sealing their lips together and starting to move his hips. At first it was just small, cautious movements, Wonshik clearly trying to allow Hakyeon to adjust to the sensation. But after a minute or two, Wonshik’s thrusts became more frantic, his hips snapping with more force, each thrust leaving Hakyeon a trembling mess underneath the king. At the same time, Wonshik continued to kiss Hakyeon’s lips, propped above the prince with one elbow beside Hakyeon’s head and his other hand still gripping Hakyeon’s waist. Their tongues clashed, meeting somewhere in the middle of their desperate, open-mouthed kiss and hot, panting breaths.

A few thrusts later, Hakyeon broke away from the kiss with a sharp little cry of pleasure, Wonshik finally having angled his hips in just the right way to catch the prince’s prostate. Wonshik gave a little huff and smirked down at the prince, maintaining his position and snapping his hips as quickly as possible to hit that point of pleasure over and over again. Hakyeon dissolved into a squirming, whimpering mess beneath Wonshik. He barely had the focus to string enough coherent words together to beg the king to keep going.

But Wonshik seemed to understand anyway.

Slowing down his movements, Wonshik got his hands underneath Hakyeon’s shoulders and pulled the both of them upright. Hakyeon saw white for a couple of heartbeats, the pleasure driving through him at the new angle nearly overwhelming. He was all but limp against Wonshik’s shoulder as the king settled into a comfortable position before gyrating his hips up against Hakyeon’s ass.

“O-Oh shit…” Hakyeon whined, practically out of breath. “D-Don’ st-stop.”

Wonshik’s large, warm hands smoothed over Hakyeon’s slick lower back and held him firmly in place against the king’s chest as he steadily picked up the pace with his thrusting again. Hakyeon clung weakly to Wonshik’s shoulders, semi-aware of the fact that he was slightly drooling against the God of Death’s shoulder as he gasped and moaned.

Beneath him, Wonshik trembled and groaned, his voice strained as he whispered hoarsely, “F-fuck, Hakyeon, I-I’m—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, making Hakyeon aware of just how affected the king was by all of this. Wanting to make sure that Wonshik felt as good as he did now, Hakyeon gathered the remains of his stamina and wrapped one arm around the king’s shoulders, the other threading his fingers into Wonshik’s damp hair. Latching onto the sweaty skin of the king’s neck, Hakyeon began nipping and sucking at the thin, sensitive skin where neck sloped into collarbone. As he sucked, Hakyeon took control of his hips and ground down, swirling his hips in a small circular motion and clenching around Wonshik’s cock.

Feeling the violent shudder that rocked through Wonshik’s limbs, Hakyeon kept the action up, grinding and clenching and sucking all at once. He could tell he was pulling Wonshik even closer to the edge, as well as chasing his own orgasm.

Surprisingly, it was Wonshik who came first, his cum releasing inside of Hakyeon and the sensation was enough to tip Hakyeon over the edge once again as he clenched firmly around the king’s pulsing erection. Hakyeon’s eyes rolled back with the pleasure that rushed through him, his vision going grey for a few moments.

Blinking, Hakyeon glanced around and realized that Wonshik had moved them towards the head of the bed, their limbs still entangled and the king’s – now soft – dick still in Hakyeon’s ass. Exchanging blissed out smiles with Wonshik, Hakyeon tucked himself closer to Wonshik’s heated chest and nuzzled his nose into the king’s collarbone, feeling content. Wonshik’s arms wrapped securely around Hakyeon as he pressed a kiss to the prince’s damp hair.

“Are we going to fall asleep like this?” Wonshik murmured after a few quiet moments. He wiggled his hips a little for emphasis.

“This sounds disgusting…” Hakyeon mumbled into Wonshik’s skin. “But I feel really good like this.”

Wonshik chuckled into the crown of Hakyeon’s head before pulling back a little. He smiled fondly down at the dazed, sleepy look he got in return from the prince.

“I would be lying if I said I did not find this position arousing, but I believe it would be more sanitary if we were to clean up before sleeping.”

Hakyeon huffed quietly and stared mulishly at Wonshik’s pectorals in front of him.

“I know…”

Chuckling, Wonshik carefully pulled out of Hakyeon and went about gathering a damp towel from near the bath. Once he returned to the bed, Wonshik was gentle and meticulous in cleaning his cum from Hakyeon’s ass, wiping the leftover oil from their skin. Tossing the used towel over the side of the bed, Wonshik manhandled a pliant Hakyeon underneath the covers and tucked the prince against him in their previous position, sans his cock inside Hakyeon.

They lay intertwined for a while, drifting nearer to the edge of sleep as time dragged on. Hakyeon was ready to slip into unconsciousness when he suddenly picked up his head and looked up at a drowsy Wonshik.

“Wonshik?” Hakyeon whispered, not missing the tiny shiver that passed through the king’s body at his name. Wonshik hummed in response though, and cracked one eye open.

“I love you,” Hakyeon whispered, staring up at the king with sleepy earnest.

Wonshik opened both eyes, lifting his head off the pillow slightly and staring down at Hakyeon with mild shock dancing hand in hand with sheer happiness in his irises. Hakyeon couldn’t help but smile at the expression.

“I love you, too,” Wonshik returned breathlessly. “More than I ever have in my past lives, I love you.”

Flushing, Hakyeon stretched up to meet Wonshik halfway, pressing their lips together without rush and nothing but a genuine desire to feel the other. They lingered for a few suspended moments before breaking apart with smiles on their faces and the taste of each other on their tongues. Hakyeon tucked himself comfortably against Wonshik’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat beneath his cheek. Wonshik tucked his nose into Hakyeon’s hair and pulled the prince flush against his chest.

They fell asleep like that not long after, the steady pulsing of Hakyeon’s ruby glowing like a flare between their chests. At some point in the night, Taekwoon slipped into Wonshik’s chambers and tucked himself against Hakyeon’s back. The prince stirred into wakefulness long enough to share a lingering kiss with the spirit before slipping back into the first dreamless sleep he had had in a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the sex reads awkwardly for anyone, I've literally only written explicitly like this once before so I'm still learning.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this!! And I apologize for this chapter being a week late. I abruptly lost wifi for like five days last week and then decided to just wait until today so I could make sure I was really okay with this chapter being posted. Also, I might write one last shorter chapter just to wrap things up even more but I'm not sure yet. Just a heads up in case that happens. Let me know what you think, constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Thank you all for reading my story! <3


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